2000
#17,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,516
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Bracco
An Italian surname possibly originating from a place name or the Italian word for hunting dog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,532 Americans carry the last name Bracco. That puts it at #20,150 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 223,730 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bracco 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
1.5K
1 in 223,730
Census rank
#20,150
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,336 bearers of the surname Bracco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20150th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bracco, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bracco
The surname Bracco is of Italian origin, first appearing in historical records during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Italian word "bracco," which refers to a breed of hunting dog known for its keen sense of smell and tracking abilities. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who worked with hunting dogs or had a particular affinity for them.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bracco can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia Medievale," a collection of medieval documents from the region of Lombardy, Italy. In this compilation, a certain Guglielmo Bracco is mentioned in a document dated 1152, indicating that the name was already in use by that time.
During the 13th century, the name appears in various Venetian records, such as the "Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Veneziana," suggesting that the Bracco family had established itself in the prosperous maritime republic of Venice. One notable individual from this period is Marco Bracco, a merchant and diplomat who served as the Venetian ambassador to the court of the Holy Roman Emperor in 1275.
The surname Bracco can also be traced back to the town of Bracciano, located in the province of Rome. It is possible that the name originated from this location, as it was common for surnames to derive from place names during the medieval period. The earliest known record of the Bracco family in Bracciano dates back to the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Bracco name gained prominence with the rise of Andrea Bracco, a renowned Italian architect and engineer who designed several fortifications and public buildings in the city of Rome. Born in 1435, Andrea Bracco is considered one of the most influential architects of the Renaissance period in Italy.
Another notable figure with the surname Bracco is Battista Bracco, a 16th-century Italian painter and sculptor from the city of Modena. Battista Bracco was known for his religious works, including several altarpieces commissioned by churches in Modena and the surrounding region. He lived from 1508 to 1574.
Throughout the centuries, the Bracco family has left its mark across various regions of Italy, with individuals from different branches contributing to various fields, including art, architecture, commerce, and politics. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval times, it has endured as a distinctive Italian surname, carrying with it a rich history and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bracco
Among Census respondents with the surname Bracco, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bracco 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 Bracco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 1,203
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 89
- Two or more races1.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 18
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bracco
Bracco 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
#17,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,610
+94 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Down 288 places
2020
#20,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,336
-274 bearers (-17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 2,648 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,214 | 1,516 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,502 | 1,610 | 0.55 | +94 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 288 places |
| 2020 | #20,150 | 1,336 | 0.45 | -274 bearers (-17.0%) | Down 2,648 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 Bracco 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 | #17,502 | #20,150 | -15.1% |
| Count | 1,610 | 1,336 | -17.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.55 | 0.45 | -18.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bracco bearers went from 1,610 to 1,336 (-17.0% change). The surname moved down 2,648 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,502 to #20,150.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bracco
FAQ
Bracco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bracco?
Name Census estimates that about 1,532 living Americans carry the surname Bracco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 223,730 residents.
How common is Bracco?
Bracco ranks #20,150 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.45 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 1,336 people with the surname Bracco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,532), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.45 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 Bracco.
Has Bracco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bracco went from 1,610 recorded bearers to 1,336. That is a decrease of 274 (-17.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,502 to #20,150.
What does the Census say about the background of Bracco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bracco, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Bracco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (1,203 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bracco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Bracco (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 Bracco mean?
An Italian surname possibly originating from a place name or the Italian word for hunting dog. 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 Bracco (0.45 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 Americans have the surname Bracco?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.