2000
#112,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Brutscher
A surname potentially derived from a geographic location or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 182 Americans carry the last name Brutscher. That puts it at #116,252 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,883,266 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brutscher 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
182
1 in 1,883,266
Census rank
#116,252
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
159
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 159 bearers of the surname Brutscher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 116252nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brutscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brutscher
The surname BRUTSCHER is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the German word "brutschen," which means "to move quickly or forcefully." This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a nickname or occupational title to someone who exhibited swift or energetic movements.
The earliest recorded instances of the BRUTSCHER name can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various German regions, such as Bavaria and Saxony. Some of the earliest known spellings include "Brutzscher," "Brutzshar," and "Brutzschr."
One of the earliest documented individuals with the BRUTSCHER surname was Hans Brutzscher, a merchant who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 14th century. Historical records from the time mention his involvement in trade dealings with neighboring towns and cities.
In the 16th century, the BRUTSCHER name appeared in several manuscripts and records from the region of Saxony-Anhalt. Notable individuals from this period include Christoph Brutzscher, a Lutheran theologian and writer who was born in 1541 and died in 1607.
During the 17th century, the name BRUTSCHER began to spread more widely across German-speaking regions. Johann Brutzscher, born in 1623 and died in 1692, was a renowned clockmaker and inventor from the city of Dresden. His intricate mechanical clocks and innovative designs were highly sought after by wealthy patrons throughout Europe.
As the surname continued to disperse in the 18th and 19th centuries, it also found its way into other European countries. One notable figure was Friedrich Brutzscher, a German-born composer and musician who lived in Austria from 1788 to 1856. He is remembered for his contributions to the development of classical music during the Romantic era.
Another individual of note was Karl Brutzscher, a German-born engineer and industrialist who lived from 1832 to 1904. He played a significant role in the early development of the steel industry and established several successful manufacturing companies in his lifetime.
While the BRUTSCHER name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, the name's origins and historical significance can be traced back to its Germanic heritage and the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brutscher
Among Census respondents with the surname Brutscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brutscher 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 Brutscher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 147
- Two or more races3.8% · 6
- Black or African American1.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brutscher
Brutscher 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
#105,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169
+25 bearers (+17.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 7,367 places
2020
#116,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159
-10 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 10,652 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,967 | 144 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #105,600 | 169 | 0.06 | +25 bearers (+17.4%) | Up 7,367 places |
| 2020 | #116,252 | 159 | 0.05 | -10 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 10,652 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 Brutscher 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 | #105,600 | #116,252 | -10.1% |
| Count | 169 | 159 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.05 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brutscher bearers went from 169 to 159 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 10,652 positions in the national ranking, going from #105,600 to #116,252.
FAQ
Brutscher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brutscher?
Name Census estimates that about 182 living Americans carry the surname Brutscher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,883,266 residents.
How common is Brutscher?
Brutscher ranks #116,252 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 159 people with the surname Brutscher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (182), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Brutscher.
Has Brutscher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brutscher went from 169 recorded bearers to 159. That is a decrease of 10 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #105,600 to #116,252.
What does the Census say about the background of Brutscher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brutscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Brutscher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (147 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brutscher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Black (1.9%). 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 Brutscher (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 Brutscher mean?
A surname potentially derived from a geographic location or occupation. 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 Brutscher (0.05 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 Brutscher?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.