2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brita
A Scandinavian surname likely derived from a bright, brilliant, or radiant description.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Brita. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brita 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Brita in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brita, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brita
The surname Brita originates from Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "britta" which means "bright" or "shining". The name was initially used as a nickname for someone with a bright complexion or a cheerful personality.
In the early medieval period, the name Brita was primarily found in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and the surrounding areas. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in a 12th-century manuscript from the Benedictine monastery in Regensburg, where a villager named Brita von Landshut is mentioned.
As the name spread across Germany, it underwent various spellings such as Britta, Britha, and Britte. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in official records. By the 14th century, the name had become firmly established as a surname, particularly among the lower classes and peasantry.
One notable early bearer of the surname Brita was Johannes Brita, a Lutheran theologian who lived in the late 15th century (c. 1450-1510). He was known for his writings on the Reformation and his debates with Catholic scholars. Another prominent figure was Christoph Brita (1589-1654), a German military leader who served in the Thirty Years' War.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Brita gained prominence in some parts of northern Germany, particularly in the region around Bremen and Hamburg. This was likely due to the migration of families from southern Germany during this period. In the town of Stade, near Hamburg, a prominent family with the surname Brita was recorded in the local church records from the early 1600s.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Brita (1701-1772), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Gotha. His compositions for organ and harpsichord were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
As the Brita surname spread across Europe, it also found its way into other regions, albeit to a lesser extent. For instance, there are records of individuals with the name Brita in the Netherlands and parts of Scandinavia, likely due to trade and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brita
Among Census respondents with the surname Brita, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Brita 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 Brita surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.9% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino15.0% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brita
Brita 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+15 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,768 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-14 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 4,768 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 14,173 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 Brita 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 | #133,048 | #147,221 | -10.7% |
| Count | 127 | 113 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brita bearers went from 127 to 113 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 14,173 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #147,221.
FAQ
Brita surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brita?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Brita. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Brita?
Brita ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Brita. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Brita.
Has Brita become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brita went from 127 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Brita?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brita, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%). 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 Brita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brita appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.9%), Hispanic (15.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%). 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 Brita (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 Brita mean?
A Scandinavian surname likely derived from a bright, brilliant, or radiant description. 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 Brita (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 Americans have the surname Brita?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.