2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brisben
A locational surname derived from Brisbane, Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Brisben. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brisben 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Brisben in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brisben, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brisben
The surname BRISBEN has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bris" and "bæne," meaning "brushwood" and "dweller," respectively. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked with brushwood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BRISBEN can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Briseban." This document was a census-like survey conducted in England during the reign of King Edward I. The variation "Brisebane" is also mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which were tax records from the same era.
The name BRISBEN has been associated with various place names throughout history. One such example is the village of Brisben in Northamptonshire, which was once known as "Brisseban" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This connection suggests that some early bearers of the surname may have hailed from or had ties to this location.
Notable individuals with the surname BRISBEN include:
1. William BRISBEN (c. 1460 - 1522), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of St. David's from 1508 until his death.
2. Robert BRISBEN (1582 - 1639), a English member of parliament who represented Gloucestershire in the early 17th century.
3. Mary BRISBEN (1628 - 1689), a Puritan author and poet whose works explored religious themes.
4. John BRISBEN (1745 - 1821), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
5. Elizabeth BRISBEN (1801 - 1878), an English philanthropist and social reformer known for her efforts in improving living conditions for the poor.
Throughout the centuries, the surname BRISBEN has undergone various spellings, including "Brisseban," "Briseban," "Brisebane," and "Brisbain," among others. These variations reflect the evolution of language and regional differences in pronunciation and spelling over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brisben
Among Census respondents with the surname Brisben, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brisben 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 Brisben surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 90
- Black or African American3.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brisben
Brisben appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 361 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 Brisben 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 | #152,628 | #152,989 | -0.2% |
| Count | 107 | 105 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brisben bearers went from 107 to 105 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 361 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #152,989.
FAQ
Brisben surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brisben?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Brisben. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Brisben?
Brisben ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Brisben. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Brisben.
Has Brisben become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brisben went from 107 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Brisben?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brisben, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brisben in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brisben appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Black (3.8%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Brisben (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 Brisben mean?
A locational surname derived from Brisbane, Scotland. 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 Brisben (0.04 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 last name Brisben?
See how many people have the last name Brisben on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.