2000
#2,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.13
Uncommon Last name
Briones
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Briones in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,306 Americans carry the last name Briones. That puts it at #2,353 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,806 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Briones 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
17K
1 in 19,806
Census rank
#2,353
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,092 bearers of the surname Briones in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2353rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Briones, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.2%) and White (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Briones
The surname Briones has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Castile. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "brion," which refers to a type of rocky terrain or a rocky area. This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived in or near a rocky or mountainous region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Briones can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census document from the 14th century. This document lists several individuals with the surname Briones, indicating that the name was already well-established in the region during that time period.
The surname Briones is also closely associated with the town of Briones, located in the province of La Rioja, Spain. It is possible that the surname originated from this place name, as it was a common practice for people to adopt surnames based on the locations they were from or resided in.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Briones was Fray Juan de Briones, a Spanish friar and missionary who played a significant role in the colonization of the Philippines. He was born in the late 15th century and traveled to the Philippines in 1592, where he established several missions and worked to convert the indigenous population to Catholicism.
Another historical figure with the surname Briones was Juan de Briones y Salazar, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile in the 16th century. He was born around 1520 and played a crucial role in the establishment of Spanish settlements in the region.
In the 18th century, José Briones y Ferrer was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Montevideo, present-day Uruguay, from 1775 to 1779. He was born in Catalonia in 1722 and made significant contributions to the development of the region during his tenure as governor.
During the 19th century, Manuel Briones was a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as the Governor of the state of Zacatecas from 1868 to 1869. He was born in 1815 and played an important role in the political landscape of Mexico during the turbulent period following the Mexican-American War.
In more recent times, Matías Briones was a Chilean writer and poet born in 1954. He gained recognition for his works exploring themes of identity, memory, and the human condition. His poetry collections, such as "El Libro de los Caminos" (1981) and "Canciones de Ciego" (1989), received critical acclaim and established him as a prominent figure in Chilean literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Briones
Among Census respondents with the surname Briones, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.2%) and White (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Briones 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 Briones surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.7% · 12,025
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.2% · 1,844
- White5.8% · 871
- Two or more races1.4% · 209
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 94
- Black or African American0.3% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Briones
Briones 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
#2,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,098
+3,955 bearers (+35.5%)
Per 100,000 5.12
Rank movement Up 568 places
2020
#2,353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,092
-6 bearers (-0.0%)
Per 100,000 5.05
Rank movement Up 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,971 | 11,143 | 4.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,403 | 15,098 | 5.12 | +3,955 bearers (+35.5%) | Up 568 places |
| 2020 | #2,353 | 15,092 | 5.05 | -6 bearers (-0.0%) | Up 50 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 Briones 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 | #2,403 | #2,353 | 2.1% |
| Count | 15,098 | 15,092 | -0.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.12 | 5.05 | -1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Briones bearers went from 15,098 to 15,092 (+-0.0% change). The surname moved up 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,403 to #2,353.
FAQ
Briones surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Briones?
Name Census estimates that about 17,306 living Americans carry the surname Briones. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,806 residents.
How common is Briones?
Briones ranks #2,353 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,092 people with the surname Briones. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,306), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Briones.
Has Briones become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Briones went from 15,098 recorded bearers to 15,092. That is a decrease of 6 (-0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,403 to #2,353.
What does the Census say about the background of Briones?
Among Census respondents with the surname Briones, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.2%) and White (5.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Briones in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.7% (12,025 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Briones appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.2%), White (5.8%). 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 Briones (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 Briones mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Briones in Spain. 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 Briones (5.05 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 have the surname Briones?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.