2000
#10,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,781
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Brunet
A descriptive surname referring to someone with brown or dark hair or a dark complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,274 Americans carry the last name Brunet. That puts it at #10,690 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,690 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brunet 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
3.3K
1 in 104,690
Census rank
#10,690
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,855 bearers of the surname Brunet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10690th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunet, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brunet
The surname BRUNET originated in France, derived from the Old French word "brunet" meaning "brown-haired" or "brown-skinned." It first appeared in the 12th century and was used as a descriptive nickname for individuals with a darker complexion or hair color.
The name is believed to have its roots in the Latin word "brunetus" or "burnetus," which also referred to a brownish hue. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in various medieval records and documents from regions like Normandy, Brittany, and Île-de-France.
One of the earliest documented bearers of the name was Guillaume Brunet, a knight mentioned in a charter from the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, dated around 1180. Another early reference is found in the Cartulaire de Vendôme, a collection of charters from the Abbey of Vendôme, where a Petrus Brunetus is mentioned in 1205.
During the Middle Ages, the name BRUNET was particularly prevalent in the northern regions of France, including areas like Normandy and Picardy. It is also found in various place names, such as Brunet-la-Rivière and Brunet-le-Roy, suggesting the surname's long-standing presence in certain locations.
Notable individuals with the surname BRUNET throughout history include:
1. Guillaume BRUNET (c. 1450 - c. 1515), a French composer and theorist during the Renaissance era.
2. Nicolas BRUNET (1619 - 1678), a French Jesuit priest and missionary who traveled to Canada and worked among the Iroquois and Huron people.
3. Jacques-Charles BRUNET (1780 - 1867), a French bibliographer and author of the influential work "Manuel du Libraire et de l'Amateur de Livres."
4. Émile BRUNET (1842 - 1919), a French politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice and Public Instruction in the late 19th century.
5. Gustave BRUNET (1878 - 1948), a French artist and sculptor known for his work in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles.
While the surname BRUNET is most commonly associated with France, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange over the centuries, including regions like Canada, the United States, and various French-speaking territories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brunet
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunet, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brunet 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 Brunet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.7% · 2,275
- Hispanic or Latino12.1% · 346
- Two or more races3.8% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 67
- Black or African American1.8% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brunet
Brunet 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
#10,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,043
+262 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 44 places
2020
#10,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,855
-188 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 151 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,583 | 2,781 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,539 | 3,043 | 1.03 | +262 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 44 places |
| 2020 | #10,690 | 2,855 | 0.96 | -188 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 151 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 Brunet 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 | #10,539 | #10,690 | -1.4% |
| Count | 3,043 | 2,855 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.96 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brunet bearers went from 3,043 to 2,855 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 151 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,539 to #10,690.
FAQ
Brunet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brunet?
Name Census estimates that about 3,274 living Americans carry the surname Brunet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,690 residents.
How common is Brunet?
Brunet ranks #10,690 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,855 people with the surname Brunet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,274), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Brunet.
Has Brunet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brunet went from 3,043 recorded bearers to 2,855. That is a decrease of 188 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,539 to #10,690.
What does the Census say about the background of Brunet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunet, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Brunet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.7% (2,275 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brunet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.7%), Hispanic (12.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Brunet (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 Brunet mean?
A descriptive surname referring to someone with brown or dark hair or a dark 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 Brunet (0.96 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 share the surname Brunet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.