2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Brna
A surname derived from a place name meaning "from Brno (Brünn)" in the Czech Republic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Brna. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brna 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Brna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brna, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brna
The surname BRNA is of Czech origin, with roots dating back to the early 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bohemia, which was historically part of the Kingdom of Bohemia, and is now part of the Czech Republic.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BRNA can be found in a historical document from 1412, where it is mentioned as the surname of a landowner in the village of Brno, located in the South Moravian Region of Bohemia. The name is thought to have derived from the Old Czech word "brn," which means "muddy" or "marshy," possibly referring to the geographical features of the area where the family initially settled.
In the 16th century, the BRNA name appeared in several church records and census records in the town of Brno, suggesting that the family had established a significant presence in the region. The town of Brno, which is now the second-largest city in the Czech Republic, was an important center of trade and commerce during the Middle Ages, and it is possible that members of the BRNA family were involved in mercantile activities.
One notable individual with the surname BRNA was Jan BRNA, a Czech composer and organist who lived in the 17th century (1638-1712). He is renowned for his contributions to the development of Czech baroque music and is considered one of the most influential composers of his era.
Another prominent figure was Karel BRNA (1792-1876), a Czech writer and journalist who played a significant role in the Czech National Revival movement. He was an advocate for the preservation of the Czech language and culture, and his works helped to shape the modern Czech literary tradition.
In the 19th century, the BRNA surname also gained recognition through the accomplishments of Václav BRNA (1821-1892), a Czech politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Imperial Council of Austria-Hungary. He was a vocal proponent of Czech rights and worked to promote the interests of the Czech people within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Historically, the BRNA surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Brno, Brníčko, and Brňany, which are all located in the Czech Republic. These place names likely share a common linguistic root with the surname, further reinforcing its Czech origins.
While the BRNA surname is most prevalent in the Czech Republic and among Czech diaspora communities, it has also been documented in other parts of Europe, possibly due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brna
Among Census respondents with the surname Brna, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Brna 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 Brna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 101
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brna
Brna 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+6 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,431 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-28 bearers (-21.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 23,891 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 3,431 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -28 bearers (-21.7%) | Down 23,891 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 Brna 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 | #131,379 | #155,270 | -18.2% |
| Count | 129 | 101 | -21.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brna bearers went from 129 to 101 (-21.7% change). The surname moved down 23,891 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #155,270.
FAQ
Brna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brna?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Brna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Brna?
Brna ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Brna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Brna.
Has Brna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brna went from 129 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 28 (-21.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Brna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brna, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Brna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Brna (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 Brna mean?
A surname derived from a place name meaning "from Brno (Brünn)" in the Czech Republic. 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 Brna (0.03 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 common is the surname Brna?
Want to know how many people are called Brna? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.