2000
#967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,040
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.25
Uncommon Last name
Branch
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a branch or wooded area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 37,788 Americans carry the last name Branch. That puts it at #1,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,070 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Branch 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Branch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 9,070
Census rank
#1,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,953 bearers of the surname Branch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Branch, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.4%. The next largest groups are Black (44.6%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Branch
The surname Branch is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "branche," meaning a branch or bough of a tree. It likely originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived near a prominent branch or tree, or as an occupational name for someone who worked with branches or trees.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century in various English counties, such as Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Staffordshire. One of the earliest known bearers was Roger de la Braunche, mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1221.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there are references to individuals with the surname Branch or variations like Branche and Bronche, including William de la Branche in Oxfordshire and Henry Braunche in Buckinghamshire.
The Domesday Book, a vast survey of landholdings and populations in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Branch, as it predates the widespread adoption of hereditary surnames.
During the Middle Ages, the surname was often associated with specific locations, such as Branchesley (now Brauncewell) in Lincolnshire, or Branche in Somerset, which may have influenced the name's spelling and regional variations.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Branch throughout history include:
1. John Branch (1782-1863), an American politician who served as the 19th Governor of North Carolina and as the 23rd United States Secretary of the Navy.
2. Mary Bolles Branch (1832-1912), an American author and editor, known for her work promoting women's rights and education.
3. Sir John Offley Shakspere Branch (1785-1867), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
4. Thomas Branch (c. 1670-1719), an English mathematician and theologian, known for his work on the calculation of logarithms.
5. Elihu Branch (1843-1917), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 4th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Indiana.
The surname Branch has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Branche, Bronche, Braunche, and Braunch, reflecting regional dialects and the evolution of the English language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Branch
Among Census respondents with the surname Branch, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.4%. The next largest groups are Black (44.6%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Branch 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 Branch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.4% · 14,947
- Black or African American44.6% · 14,702
- Two or more races5.0% · 1,648
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 1,337
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 136
Timeline
Historical Census data for Branch
Branch 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
#990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,225
+2,185 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 11.94
Rank movement Down 23 places
2020
#1,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,953
-2,272 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 11.02
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #967 | 33,040 | 12.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #990 | 35,225 | 11.94 | +2,185 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 23 places |
| 2020 | #1,049 | 32,953 | 11.02 | -2,272 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 59 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 Branch 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 | #990 | #1,049 | -6.0% |
| Count | 35,225 | 32,953 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 11.94 | 11.02 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Branch bearers went from 35,225 to 32,953 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #990 to #1,049.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Branch
FAQ
Branch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Branch?
Name Census estimates that about 37,788 living Americans carry the surname Branch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,070 residents.
How common is Branch?
Branch ranks #1,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,953 people with the surname Branch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (37,788), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Branch.
Has Branch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Branch went from 35,225 recorded bearers to 32,953. That is a decrease of 2,272 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #990 to #1,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Branch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Branch, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.4%. The next largest groups are Black (44.6%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Branch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.4% (14,947 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Branch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.4%), Black (44.6%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Branch (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 Branch mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a branch or wooded area. 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 Branch (11.02 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 share the surname Branch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.