2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brones
A surname derived from a nickname for someone with a brown complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Brones. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brones 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Brones in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brones, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brones
The surname BRONES originates from the northern regions of Spain, specifically the Basque Country, during the 8th century. It is believed to be derived from the Basque word "bronte," which means "thunder" or "storm." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived in a storm-prone area or had a tempestuous personality.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name BRONES can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the 10th century. This document contains references to individuals with the surname BRONES, indicating that the name was already in use during that time period.
In the 12th century, the BRONES family established itself in the town of Briones, located in the province of La Rioja, Spain. It is possible that the town's name was influenced by the family's surname, or vice versa. This town was mentioned in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that documented the routes and traditions of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.
One notable individual with the surname BRONES was Juan de Briones, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the 16th century. Born in Castile in the late 15th century, Juan de Briones played a significant role in the fall of the Aztec Empire.
Another historical figure bearing the BRONES name was Diego de Briones, a Spanish explorer and navigator who lived in the late 16th century. He was part of the expeditions that explored the Pacific Northwest region of North America and contributed to the mapping of the western coast of what is now Canada and the United States.
In the 17th century, Francisco de Briones was a prominent Spanish artist known for his religious paintings and frescoes. Born in Seville in 1620, his works can be found in several churches and cathedrals throughout Spain.
During the 18th century, María Briones was a renowned Spanish writer and poet. Born in Madrid in 1745, she was part of the literary circles of her time and published several collections of poetry and plays.
Lastly, in the 19th century, Manuel Briones was a Spanish military officer who fought in the Carlist Wars, a series of civil wars in Spain between supporters of the ruling monarchy and those who favored alternative branches of the royal family. Born in 1810 in Pamplona, he rose through the ranks and became a respected military strategist.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brones
Among Census respondents with the surname Brones, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brones 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 Brones surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.4% · 84
- Black or African American6.9% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 7
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brones
Brones 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+15 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,179 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-14 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,606 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 6,179 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 11,606 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 Brones 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 | #143,149 | #154,755 | -8.1% |
| Count | 116 | 102 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brones bearers went from 116 to 102 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 11,606 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #154,755.
FAQ
Brones surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brones?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Brones. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Brones?
Brones ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Brones. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Brones.
Has Brones become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brones went from 116 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Brones?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brones, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Brones in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brones appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.4%), Black (6.9%), Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Brones (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 Brones mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for someone with a brown complexion. 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 Brones (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 Brones?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Brones, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.