2000
#11,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,495
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Britten
A surname of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from a place name meaning "Britta's homestead" or "Britta's settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,895 Americans carry the last name Britten. That puts it at #11,850 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,395 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Britten 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 Britten with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,395
Census rank
#11,850
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,525 bearers of the surname Britten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11850th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Britten, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Britten
The surname Britten originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "britten," meaning a Briton or a person of British descent. This name likely emerged as a way to distinguish those of British ancestry from the Anglo-Saxon or Norman populations that had settled in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Britten can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Brictun" in reference to a landholder in Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name had already established itself in certain parts of England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Britten was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, where it may have originated as a locational surname referring to settlements with names like Britten or Britton. In some instances, the name may have also been an occupational surname for someone who worked with or traded in British goods or products.
Notable individuals with the surname Britten include Sir Thomas Britten (c. 1370-1450), a prominent English soldier and diplomat who served under Henry V during the Hundred Years' War. Another early bearer of the name was John Britten (c. 1420-1480), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Norfolk.
In the 16th century, the name Britten gained further recognition with the birth of Edward Britten (1530-1595), an English theologian and scholar who served as the Dean of Westminster Abbey. His contemporary, Richard Britten (c. 1540-1620), was a respected lawyer and member of the Parliament of England.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of the surname Britten is the celebrated English composer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), whose works, such as the opera Peter Grimes and the War Requiem, have become cornerstones of 20th-century classical music.
Throughout its history, the surname Britten has maintained its strong ties to England, and its bearers have made significant contributions to various fields, including military service, commerce, academia, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Britten
Among Census respondents with the surname Britten, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Britten 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 Britten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.4% · 1,727
- Black or African American23.4% · 591
- Two or more races4.1% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Britten
Britten 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
#11,288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,799
+304 bearers (+12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 269 places
2020
#11,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,525
-274 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 562 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,557 | 2,495 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,288 | 2,799 | 0.95 | +304 bearers (+12.2%) | Up 269 places |
| 2020 | #11,850 | 2,525 | 0.84 | -274 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 562 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 Britten 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 | #11,288 | #11,850 | -5.0% |
| Count | 2,799 | 2,525 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.84 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Britten bearers went from 2,799 to 2,525 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 562 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,288 to #11,850.
FAQ
Britten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Britten?
Name Census estimates that about 2,895 living Americans carry the surname Britten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,395 residents.
How common is Britten?
Britten ranks #11,850 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,525 people with the surname Britten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,895), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Britten.
Has Britten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Britten went from 2,799 recorded bearers to 2,525. That is a decrease of 274 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,288 to #11,850.
What does the Census say about the background of Britten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Britten, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Britten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (1,727 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Britten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.4%), Black (23.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Britten (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 Britten mean?
A surname of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from a place name meaning "Britta's homestead" or "Britta's settlement." 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 Britten (0.84 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 Britten?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.