2000
#10,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Brust
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a person who worked as a chest maker or carpenter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,781 Americans carry the last name Brust. That puts it at #12,253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,249 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brust 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
2.8K
1 in 123,249
Census rank
#12,253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,425 bearers of the surname Brust in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brust, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brust
The surname Brust originated in Germany, likely in the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German word "Brust," meaning "chest" or "breast." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a physical characteristic or occupation related to the chest area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Brust surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Brust," "Brusth," and "Bruste."
During the 15th century, the Brust surname was mentioned in several historical records in various German regions, including Bavaria and Württemberg. For example, a document from Augsburg in 1487 refers to a certain Hans Brust, a merchant.
In the 16th century, the name Brust gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg, where several notable individuals bore this surname. One of them was Georg Brust (1512-1589), a prominent goldsmith and engraver who created intricate works of art for the city's elite.
Another notable figure was Johann Brust (1542-1616), a German theologian and Protestant reformer who actively participated in the religious debates of his time. He published several works on theology and served as a pastor in various German cities.
During the 17th century, the Brust surname spread across different regions of Germany, with several families settling in areas such as Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. One notable individual from this period was Christian Brust (1630-1697), a Lutheran pastor and author who wrote several theological treatises.
In the 18th century, the Brust surname gained further recognition through individuals like Johann Brust (1701-1768), a German composer and organist who contributed to the development of church music in his time.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Brust surname continued to be found across various German states and regions, with individuals from this family working in diverse fields, including academia, politics, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brust
Among Census respondents with the surname Brust, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brust 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 Brust surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 2,252
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 77
- Two or more races2.8% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brust
Brust 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
#10,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,976
+303 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 194 places
2020
#12,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,425
-551 bearers (-18.5%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 1,524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,923 | 2,673 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,729 | 2,976 | 1.01 | +303 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 194 places |
| 2020 | #12,253 | 2,425 | 0.81 | -551 bearers (-18.5%) | Down 1,524 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 Brust 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 | #10,729 | #12,253 | -14.2% |
| Count | 2,976 | 2,425 | -18.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.81 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brust bearers went from 2,976 to 2,425 (-18.5% change). The surname moved down 1,524 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,729 to #12,253.
FAQ
Brust surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brust?
Name Census estimates that about 2,781 living Americans carry the surname Brust. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,249 residents.
How common is Brust?
Brust ranks #12,253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,425 people with the surname Brust. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,781), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Brust.
Has Brust become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brust went from 2,976 recorded bearers to 2,425. That is a decrease of 551 (-18.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,729 to #12,253.
What does the Census say about the background of Brust?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brust, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Brust in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (2,252 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brust appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Brust (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 Brust mean?
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a person who worked as a chest maker or carpenter. 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 Brust (0.81 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 Brust?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.