2000
#54,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Rare Last name
Broun
A Scottish surname derived from the Anglo-Norman word "brun" meaning brown or dark-haired.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,613 Americans carry the last name Broun. That puts it at #12,896 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,173 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Broun 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 Broun with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,173
Census rank
#12,896
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,279 bearers of the surname Broun in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12896th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Broun, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Black (28.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Broun
The surname BROUN is believed to have originated from the Old English word "brun," meaning brown or dark complexioned. This name was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a darker skin tone or hair color. The earliest recorded instances of this surname date back to the late 11th century in England.
BROUN is a variant spelling of the more common English surname Brown, which has Norman French origins and was first documented in the Domesday Book of 1086. This historical record listed individuals with the surname Brun, which was later anglicized to Brown or Broun.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname BROUN was Sir John Broun, a Scottish knight who lived during the late 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence and fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.
Another notable bearer of this surname was Sir Thomas Broun, a 15th-century Scottish landowner and politician who served as the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland from 1468 to 1470.
In the 16th century, Lancelot Broun (born c. 1550) was a renowned English scholar and linguist who served as the Headmaster of the prestigious Merchant Taylors' School in London.
During the 17th century, Samuel Broun (1598-1668) was an influential English Puritan clergyman and author who played a significant role in the English Civil War and served as a member of the Westminster Assembly.
In the 18th century, John Broun (1715-1789) was a Scottish philosopher and theologian who made significant contributions to the Scottish Enlightenment and served as the minister of the Burgher Associate Congregation in Edinburgh.
Throughout history, the surname BROUN has been associated with various places, including the village of Brownsover in Warwickshire, England, and the town of Braunstone in Leicestershire, England, both of which were likely named after early bearers of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Broun
Among Census respondents with the surname Broun, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Black (28.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Broun 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 Broun surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.3% · 1,442
- Black or African American28.7% · 653
- Two or more races3.6% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Broun
Broun 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
#58,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 347
-6 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 3,838 places
2020
#12,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,279
+1,932 bearers (+556.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 45,585 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,643 | 353 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,481 | 347 | 0.12 | -6 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,838 places |
| 2020 | #12,896 | 2,279 | 0.76 | +1,932 bearers (+556.8%) | Up 45,585 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 Broun 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 | #58,481 | #12,896 | 77.9% |
| Count | 347 | 2,279 | 556.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.76 | 535.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Broun bearers went from 347 to 2,279 (+556.8% change). The surname moved up 45,585 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,481 to #12,896.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Broun
FAQ
Broun surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Broun?
Name Census estimates that about 2,613 living Americans carry the surname Broun. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,173 residents.
How common is Broun?
Broun ranks #12,896 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,279 people with the surname Broun. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,613), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Broun.
Has Broun become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Broun went from 347 recorded bearers to 2,279. That is an increase of 1,932 (+556.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #58,481 to #12,896.
What does the Census say about the background of Broun?
Among Census respondents with the surname Broun, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Black (28.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Broun in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.3% (1,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Broun appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.3%), Black (28.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Broun (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 Broun mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Anglo-Norman word "brun" meaning brown or dark-haired. 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 Broun (0.76 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 surname Broun?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.