2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brychta
A surname of Czech origin possibly related to hills or highlands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Brychta. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brychta 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Brychta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brychta, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brychta
The surname BRYCHTA is of Czech origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in the region of Bohemia, which is now part of the modern-day Czech Republic. The name is believed to have derived from an occupational term or nickname related to brewing or the production of beer.
One possible origin of the name is the Czech word "břich," which means "belly" or "paunch." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a large belly, perhaps associated with the brewing industry or a fondness for consuming beer.
Another theory links the name to the Czech word "bříza," meaning "birch tree." In this case, the name could have originated as a reference to someone living near a prominent birch tree or working with birch wood, which was commonly used in the production of beer barrels and other brewing equipment.
Early records of the BRYCHTA surname can be found in various historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries in Bohemia. One notable mention is in the Městská Kniha Starého Města Pražského (The Municipal Book of the Old Town of Prague) from the 1400s, which lists several individuals with variations of the name, such as Brychta, Brychtová, and Brychtovic.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the BRYCHTA surname is Jan Brychta, a brewer who lived in the town of Žatec (formerly known as Saaz) in the late 15th century. Žatec was renowned for its brewing traditions and was a center of hop cultivation, which may have contributed to the origin of the name.
In the 16th century, the BRYCHTA name can be found in records from the town of Kutná Hora, another important brewing center in Bohemia. One notable figure from this era was Matěj Brychta (1530-1591), a prominent brewer and burgher (citizen) of Kutná Hora.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the BRYCHTA surname spread to other regions of Bohemia and Moravia, and variants of the name, such as Brichta and Brichtová, emerged. One notable individual from this period was Václav Brichta (1692-1768), a renowned sculptor and woodcarver from the town of Litoměřice.
As the BRYCHTA name continued to spread throughout Central Europe, it became associated with various professions and backgrounds. In the 19th century, Antonín Brychta (1836-1902) was a respected Czech writer and journalist, while Karel Brychta (1859-1939) was a prominent Czech architect and painter.
Throughout its history, the BRYCHTA surname has maintained a strong connection to its brewing roots and has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of the Czech lands and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brychta
Among Census respondents with the surname Brychta, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Brychta 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 Brychta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brychta
Brychta 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,674 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 780 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,674 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 780 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 Brychta 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 | #153,769 | #152,989 | 0.5% |
| Count | 106 | 105 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brychta bearers went from 106 to 105 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 780 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #152,989.
FAQ
Brychta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brychta?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Brychta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Brychta?
Brychta ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Brychta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Brychta.
Has Brychta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brychta went from 106 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Brychta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brychta, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Brychta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brychta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (6.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Brychta (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 Brychta mean?
A surname of Czech origin possibly related to hills or highlands. 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 Brychta (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 common is the surname Brychta?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Brychta at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.