2000
#2,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.97
Uncommon Last name
Brunson
Son of Brown, referring to someone with brown hair or a dark complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,607 Americans carry the last name Brunson. That puts it at #2,185 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,421 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brunson 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 Brunson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,421
Census rank
#2,185
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,226 bearers of the surname Brunson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2185th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunson, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.4%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brunson
The surname Brunson is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the northern regions of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is derived from the Old English words "brun" meaning brown and "tun" meaning a town or settlement. This suggests that the name may have initially been a locative name, referring to someone who lived in or near a brown-colored town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Brunson name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Brunestone" in reference to a settlement in Yorkshire. This provides evidence that the name existed in England as early as the 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name was commonly spelled in various forms, such as Brouneson, Brownson, and Brounson, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions at the time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named John Brunson (c. 1320 - 1386) was mentioned in the records of the city of York, where he served as a merchant and alderman. This early record provides insight into the prominence of the Brunson name in the region during that period.
As the name spread across England, it also appeared in different areas and underwent further spelling variations. In the 16th century, the Brunson family had established roots in the county of Lancashire, where they were recognized as landed gentry.
One notable Brunson from this era was Sir John Brunson (1544 - 1612), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament who represented Lancashire in the House of Commons during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the name gained further recognition with the birth of Richard Brunson (1635 - 1710), an influential clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Peterborough. His writings on theology and religious matters were widely circulated during his lifetime.
Another individual of note was Thomas Brunson (1670 - 1735), a renowned architect who played a significant role in the construction of several churches and public buildings in London during the early 18th century.
As the Brunson family continued to flourish, they left their mark in various fields, including literature, politics, and the military. One such figure was Captain William Brunson (1788 - 1858), a naval officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars and later became an author, publishing his memoirs and accounts of his experiences at sea.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brunson
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunson, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.4%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Brunson 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 Brunson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.4% · 8,008
- Black or African American42.1% · 6,831
- Two or more races4.7% · 768
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 462
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 88
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 69
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brunson
Brunson 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
#2,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,099
+981 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 5.80
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#2,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,226
-873 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 5.43
Rank movement Down 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,059 | 16,118 | 5.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,115 | 17,099 | 5.80 | +981 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #2,185 | 16,226 | 5.43 | -873 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 70 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 Brunson 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 | #2,115 | #2,185 | -3.3% |
| Count | 17,099 | 16,226 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.80 | 5.43 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brunson bearers went from 17,099 to 16,226 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,115 to #2,185.
FAQ
Brunson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brunson?
Name Census estimates that about 18,607 living Americans carry the surname Brunson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,421 residents.
How common is Brunson?
Brunson ranks #2,185 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,226 people with the surname Brunson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,607), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Brunson.
Has Brunson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brunson went from 17,099 recorded bearers to 16,226. That is a decrease of 873 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,115 to #2,185.
What does the Census say about the background of Brunson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunson, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.4%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Brunson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.4% (8,008 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brunson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.4%), Black (42.1%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Brunson (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 Brunson mean?
Son of Brown, referring to someone with brown 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 Brunson (5.43 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 Brunson?
See how many people have the last name Brunson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.