2000
#3,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,007
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.08
Uncommon Last name
Bronson
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "son of Brown" or "son of Brun."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,802 Americans carry the last name Bronson. That puts it at #3,150 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,773 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bronson 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 Bronson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,773
Census rank
#3,150
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,164 bearers of the surname Bronson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3150th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bronson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bronson
The surname Bronson is of English origin and is believed to have originated in the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from the place name Brunson or Bronson, which refers to the 'son of Brun' or the 'son of Brown'. Brun was a common Old English personal name meaning 'brown' or 'dark-complexioned'.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Bronson is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Brunessone'. This suggests that the name had already been established in England prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as 'Bruneson', 'Bron(e)son', and 'Brounson'. These variations in spelling were common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One notable bearer of the Bronson surname was Sir John Bronson (c. 1472-1534), a member of the English gentry and a prominent landowner in Staffordshire. He served as a member of Parliament and held various positions of authority under King Henry VIII.
Another historical figure was Thomas Bronson (1570-1622), an English Puritan who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636. He is considered one of the founders of the town of Hartford, Connecticut.
In the 17th century, the surname Bronson was also associated with the village of Bronson in Derbyshire, England. This place name likely derived from the same Old English personal name 'Brun'.
Reverend Abraham Bronson (1704-1788) was a notable American clergyman and educator who served as the rector of St. John's Church in Waterbury, Connecticut, for over 50 years.
Another prominent figure was Isaac Bronson (1760-1839), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut.
Throughout history, the Bronson surname has been found in various parts of England, particularly in the Midlands and the northern counties, as well as in the United States, where many bearers of the name immigrated during the colonial era and subsequent waves of migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bronson
Among Census respondents with the surname Bronson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bronson 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 Bronson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.8% · 8,124
- Black or African American17.5% · 1,958
- Two or more races4.3% · 475
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 444
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bronson
Bronson 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
#3,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,229
+222 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 3.81
Rank movement Down 193 places
2020
#3,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,164
-65 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 3.74
Rank movement Up 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,022 | 11,007 | 4.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,215 | 11,229 | 3.81 | +222 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 193 places |
| 2020 | #3,150 | 11,164 | 3.74 | -65 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 65 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 Bronson 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 | #3,215 | #3,150 | 2.0% |
| Count | 11,229 | 11,164 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.81 | 3.74 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bronson bearers went from 11,229 to 11,164 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,215 to #3,150.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bronson
FAQ
Bronson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bronson?
Name Census estimates that about 12,802 living Americans carry the surname Bronson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,773 residents.
How common is Bronson?
Bronson ranks #3,150 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,164 people with the surname Bronson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,802), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Bronson.
Has Bronson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bronson went from 11,229 recorded bearers to 11,164. That is a decrease of 65 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,215 to #3,150.
What does the Census say about the background of Bronson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bronson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Bronson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (8,124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bronson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.8%), Black (17.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Bronson (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 Bronson mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "son of Brown" or "son of Brun." 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 Bronson (3.74 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 have the last name Bronson?
Want to know how common the surname Bronson is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.