2000
#54,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 351
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Braff
A surname derived from the Middle English term "braf", meaning terraced slope or hillside.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 403 Americans carry the last name Braff. That puts it at #61,734 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 850,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Braff 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
403
1 in 850,507
Census rank
#61,734
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
351
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 351 bearers of the surname Braff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61734th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Braff, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Braff
The surname "BRAFF" is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "braf," which means "honest" or "upright."
In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled as "Braf" or "Braff," and it was primarily concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. Some records suggest that the name may have also had roots in the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as "Brafft" or "Braght."
One of the earliest known references to the name "BRAFF" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents related to the history of Saxony, which includes a mention of a certain "Henricus Braff" in the year 1231.
Another notable early record is from the Annales Fuldenses, a set of annals written by monks in Fulda, Germany, which mentions a "Braffo de Saxonia" in the year 1156.
As the name spread throughout Europe in the following centuries, various variations in spelling emerged, such as "Braffe," "Braffin," and "Braffert." One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Johann Braff (c. 1450-1520), a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Braff (c. 1530-1595) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Augsburg, Germany.
During the 17th century, the name "BRAFF" appeared in various records across Europe, including the mention of a Dutch painter named Adriaen Braff (c. 1610-1670) and a German composer named Johann Braff (c. 1650-1720).
In the 18th century, a German philosopher and writer named Friedrich Braff (1735-1810) gained recognition for his works on ethics and moral philosophy.
As the name spread further throughout Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, it continued to evolve in spelling and pronunciation, with variations such as "Braffe," "Brafft," and "Braf" emerging in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Braff
Among Census respondents with the surname Braff, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Braff 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 Braff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 308
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 14
- Two or more races4.0% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Braff
Braff 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
#68,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 286
-65 bearers (-18.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 13,890 places
2020
#61,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 351
+65 bearers (+22.7%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 7,036 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,880 | 351 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #68,770 | 286 | 0.10 | -65 bearers (-18.5%) | Down 13,890 places |
| 2020 | #61,734 | 351 | 0.12 | +65 bearers (+22.7%) | Up 7,036 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 Braff 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 | #68,770 | #61,734 | 10.2% |
| Count | 286 | 351 | 22.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.12 | 17.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Braff bearers went from 286 to 351 (+22.7% change). The surname moved up 7,036 positions in the national ranking, going from #68,770 to #61,734.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Braff
FAQ
Braff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Braff?
Name Census estimates that about 403 living Americans carry the surname Braff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 850,507 residents.
How common is Braff?
Braff ranks #61,734 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 351 people with the surname Braff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (403), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Braff.
Has Braff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Braff went from 286 recorded bearers to 351. That is an increase of 65 (+22.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #68,770 to #61,734.
What does the Census say about the background of Braff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Braff, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Braff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (308 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Braff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Braff (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 Braff mean?
A surname derived from the Middle English term "braf", meaning terraced slope or hillside. 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 Braff (0.12 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 are called Braff?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Braff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.