2000
#93,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 181
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Brambilla
A surname derived from an Italian place name referring to a bramble plant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 294 Americans carry the last name Brambilla. That puts it at #80,054 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,165,831 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brambilla 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
294
1 in 1,165,831
Census rank
#80,054
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
256
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 256 bearers of the surname Brambilla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 80054th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brambilla, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brambilla
The surname Brambilla is of Italian origin, originating in the northern regions of Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "brambilla," meaning a wild blackberry bush or bramble. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked with brambles, perhaps a farmer or forester.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Brambilla can be traced back to the 13th century in regions such as Lombardy and Piedmont. In these areas, the name was often spelled with variations like "Brambiglia" or "Brambilla." Some of the earliest documented individuals with this surname include Giovanni Brambilla, a landowner in Milan in 1275, and Stefano Brambilla, a merchant from Pavia in 1317.
The name Brambilla has a long history in Italy, with numerous notable individuals bearing this surname over the centuries. One of the most prominent was Girolamo Brambilla, a renowned Italian surgeon and obstetrician who lived from 1744 to 1819. He served as the personal physician to several European royals, including Emperor Joseph II of Austria.
Another notable figure was Ambrogio Brambilla, an Italian painter and architect who lived from 1579 to 1631. He is best known for his work on the Chiesa di San Giuseppe in Milan, which is considered a masterpiece of the Baroque style.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Brambilla (1807-1885) was a celebrated Italian composer and conductor. He served as the musical director of several prestigious opera houses, including La Scala in Milan.
The Brambilla surname also has a connection to Italian nobility, with the Brambilla family of Milan being awarded the title of Count in the 17th century. One notable member of this noble lineage was Count Ferdinando Brambilla (1655-1718), a military commander who served in the Thirty Years' War.
While the name Brambilla is primarily associated with Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world through Italian migration. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the northern regions of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brambilla
Among Census respondents with the surname Brambilla, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Brambilla 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 Brambilla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.8% · 189
- Hispanic or Latino21.5% · 55
- Two or more races2.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brambilla
Brambilla 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
#84,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 223
+42 bearers (+23.2%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 9,705 places
2020
#80,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 256
+33 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 4,082 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #93,841 | 181 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #84,136 | 223 | 0.08 | +42 bearers (+23.2%) | Up 9,705 places |
| 2020 | #80,054 | 256 | 0.09 | +33 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 4,082 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 Brambilla 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 | #84,136 | #80,054 | 4.9% |
| Count | 223 | 256 | 14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.09 | 7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brambilla bearers went from 223 to 256 (+14.8% change). The surname moved up 4,082 positions in the national ranking, going from #84,136 to #80,054.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Brambilla
FAQ
Brambilla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brambilla?
Name Census estimates that about 294 living Americans carry the surname Brambilla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,165,831 residents.
How common is Brambilla?
Brambilla ranks #80,054 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 256 people with the surname Brambilla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (294), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Brambilla.
Has Brambilla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brambilla went from 223 recorded bearers to 256. That is an increase of 33 (+14.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #84,136 to #80,054.
What does the Census say about the background of Brambilla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brambilla, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Brambilla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.8% (189 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brambilla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.8%), Hispanic (21.5%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Brambilla (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 Brambilla mean?
A surname derived from an Italian place name referring to a bramble plant. 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 Brambilla (0.09 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 Brambilla?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.