2000
#52,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 375
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Brietzke
A locational surname derived from a place name in northern Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 432 Americans carry the last name Brietzke. That puts it at #58,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 793,413 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brietzke surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
432
1 in 793,413
Census rank
#58,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
377
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 377 bearers of the surname Brietzke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 58182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brietzke, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brietzke
The surname Brietzke originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "briet," which means "broad" or "wide," and the suffix "-zke," indicating a diminutive form. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a broad or expansive area.
One of the earliest mentions of the name Brietzke can be found in historical records from the region of Pomerania, which was then part of the German Empire. These records indicate that families with this surname were present in the towns and villages around the area now known as Western Pomerania, Poland.
In the late 17th century, a notable individual named Johann Brietzke (1647-1718) was a Lutheran pastor and theologian who served in the town of Wolgast, in what was then Swedish Pomerania. His works on theology and religious teachings were widely circulated during his lifetime.
Another prominent figure was Carl Brietzke (1804-1871), a German architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Neue Wache, a famous architectural landmark in the city.
In the 19th century, the Brietzke family name began to spread more widely throughout Germany and other parts of Europe. Friedrich Brietzke (1822-1896) was a German educator and school administrator who played a significant role in reforming the educational system in Prussia.
During the same period, a man named Wilhelm Brietzke (1838-1909) gained recognition as a skilled engraver and printmaker, known for his detailed etchings and engravings of landscapes and architectural scenes.
As families with the surname Brietzke emigrated from Germany to other parts of the world, the name became more widely dispersed. One notable example is August Brietzke (1868-1939), a German-American artist and painter who settled in New York City and became known for his portraits and landscape paintings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brietzke
Among Census respondents with the surname Brietzke, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Brietzke bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Brietzke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 326
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 35
- Two or more races3.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brietzke
Brietzke appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#55,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 369
-6 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 3,542 places
2020
#58,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 377
+8 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 2,563 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #52,077 | 375 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #55,619 | 369 | 0.13 | -6 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 3,542 places |
| 2020 | #58,182 | 377 | 0.13 | +8 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 2,563 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Brietzke surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #55,619 | #58,182 | -4.6% |
| Count | 369 | 377 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brietzke bearers went from 369 to 377 (+2.2% change). The surname moved down 2,563 positions in the national ranking, going from #55,619 to #58,182.
FAQ
Brietzke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brietzke?
Name Census estimates that about 432 living Americans carry the surname Brietzke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 793,413 residents.
How common is Brietzke?
Brietzke ranks #58,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 377 people with the surname Brietzke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (432), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Brietzke.
Has Brietzke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brietzke went from 369 recorded bearers to 377. That is an increase of 8 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #55,619 to #58,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Brietzke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brietzke, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brietzke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (326 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brietzke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Hispanic (9.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Brietzke (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Brietzke mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in northern Germany. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Brietzke (0.13 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Brietzke?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.