2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Brunnett
A surname derived from the Old French word "brun" meaning brown or brunette.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Brunnett. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brunnett 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Brunnett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brunnett
The surname Brunnett has its origins in Germany, where it was derived from the German word "brunnen," meaning "well" or "spring." This suggests that the name may have originated as a place name, referring to a location near a well or spring.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th century in various parts of Germany. One notable example is Hans Brunnett, a merchant from Nuremberg, who was mentioned in a trade record from the year 1538.
In the 17th century, the name appears in several historical records from the region of Saxony. For instance, Johann Brunnett, born in 1612, was a renowned clockmaker from the town of Freiberg, known for his intricate and ornate timepieces.
As people migrated from Germany to other parts of Europe and beyond, the name spread to different regions. In the 18th century, there are records of a family named Brunnett residing in the town of Kirchheim unter Teck, in the present-day state of Baden-Württemberg.
One notable figure with the surname Brunnett was Friedrich Brunnett, born in 1780 in the city of Leipzig. He was a prominent philosopher and author, known for his work on ethics and moral philosophy.
The 19th century saw the name appearing in various parts of Europe and even in the Americas. Johan Brunnett, born in 1832 in the Swedish town of Västerås, was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Stockholm.
In the United States, the name Brunnett can be traced back to the mid-19th century, with several families of German descent settling in various parts of the country. One notable figure was William Brunnett, born in 1857 in Pennsylvania, who was a successful businessman and philanthropist.
As time passed, the name continued to spread and evolve, with various spellings emerging, such as Brunett, Brunette, and Brunnette. However, the original German spelling, Brunnett, remains the most common form of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brunnett
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brunnett 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 Brunnett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brunnett
Brunnett 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-7 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,344 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,353 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 15,344 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 1,353 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 Brunnett 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 | #144,141 | #142,788 | 0.9% |
| Count | 115 | 119 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brunnett bearers went from 115 to 119 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 1,353 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #142,788.
FAQ
Brunnett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brunnett?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Brunnett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Brunnett?
Brunnett ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Brunnett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Brunnett.
Has Brunnett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brunnett went from 115 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 4 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Brunnett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Brunnett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brunnett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Brunnett (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 Brunnett mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "brun" meaning brown or brunette. 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 Brunnett (0.04 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 Brunnett?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.