2000
#5,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,386
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.00
Rare Last name
Brister
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English word "breowestre," meaning a female brewer or ale maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,034 Americans carry the last name Brister. That puts it at #6,235 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,804 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brister 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Brister with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 56,804
Census rank
#6,235
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,262 bearers of the surname Brister in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6235th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brister, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brister
The surname Brister has its origins in the Old Norse language and can be traced back to the Viking settlements in Britain during the 8th to 11th centuries. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "brysti," which means "breast" or "chest," implying a physical characteristic or a descriptive nickname for someone with a prominent chest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brister can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings, such as Brystere and Briseter, indicating the evolution of the surname over time.
In the 13th century, the name Brister was documented in various records from the counties of Somerset and Dorset in England. One notable figure from this period was John Brister, a landowner and merchant who lived in the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, during the late 1200s.
As the centuries passed, the Brister surname spread across different regions of England, with various families establishing themselves in different counties. One prominent individual was Sir William Brister, a wealthy landowner and member of the gentry class in Gloucestershire during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Brister gained recognition in the literary world with the birth of Robert Brister, an English poet and playwright who was born in London in 1635. His works, although not widely celebrated today, contributed to the cultural landscape of the time.
The 18th century saw the rise of another notable figure with the Brister surname – James Brister, a prominent merchant and shipowner from the city of Bristol. His successful trading ventures and involvement in the thriving maritime industry of the era brought wealth and recognition to his family.
As the Brister surname spread across the British Isles and beyond, it continued to be associated with various professions and occupations. In the 19th century, one of the most well-known individuals bearing the name was Sir Charles Brister, a distinguished military officer who served in the British Army during the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
The Brister surname has a rich history rooted in the Old Norse language and has been associated with various notable figures throughout the centuries. While its origins can be traced back to the Viking settlements in Britain, the name has endured and evolved, becoming a part of the cultural tapestry of many countries and regions around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brister
Among Census respondents with the surname Brister, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brister 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 Brister surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.0% · 3,523
- Black or African American24.8% · 1,306
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 202
- Two or more races3.6% · 190
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brister
Brister 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
#5,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,123
+737 bearers (+13.7%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 219 places
2020
#6,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,262
-861 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 566 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,888 | 5,386 | 2.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,669 | 6,123 | 2.08 | +737 bearers (+13.7%) | Up 219 places |
| 2020 | #6,235 | 5,262 | 1.76 | -861 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 566 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 Brister 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 | #5,669 | #6,235 | -10.0% |
| Count | 6,123 | 5,262 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.08 | 1.76 | -15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brister bearers went from 6,123 to 5,262 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 566 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,669 to #6,235.
FAQ
Brister surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brister?
Name Census estimates that about 6,034 living Americans carry the surname Brister. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,804 residents.
How common is Brister?
Brister ranks #6,235 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,262 people with the surname Brister. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,034), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Brister.
Has Brister become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brister went from 6,123 recorded bearers to 5,262. That is a decrease of 861 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,669 to #6,235.
What does the Census say about the background of Brister?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brister, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) 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 Brister in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (3,523 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brister appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.0%), Black (24.8%), 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 Brister (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 Brister mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English word "breowestre," meaning a female brewer or ale maker. 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 Brister (1.76 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 are called Brister?
Find out how many people have the surname Brister on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.