2000
#27,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 842
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Rare Last name
Brees
A habitational name referring to someone from Bree or a place with a similar name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,026 Americans carry the last name Brees. That puts it at #28,366 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 334,069 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brees 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 Brees with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.0K
1 in 334,069
Census rank
#28,366
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
895
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 895 bearers of the surname Brees in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28366th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brees, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brees
The surname Brees has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bres," which means "breach" or "break," referring to someone who lived near a gap or opening in a hedge or fence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brees can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Henricus de la Brese." This suggests that the name may have initially been a locative surname, referring to a person's place of residence or origin.
Variants of the name include Brese, Breese, and Brease, which can be found in various historical records throughout the centuries. For instance, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a "Johanna Brese," while the Feet of Fines of Staffordshire from 1509 reference a "William Brese."
The surname Brees has also been associated with certain place names in England, such as Brese in Somerset and Breese in Shropshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Brees include:
1. Sir John Brees (1619-1692), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Kent during the reign of Charles II.
2. Thomas Brees (1663-1735), an English clockmaker and watchmaker who worked in London during the early 18th century.
3. Samuel Brees (1765-1825), an English writer and editor known for his works on agriculture and horticulture.
4. William Brees (1777-1865), a British architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in London.
5. James Brees (1825-1899), an English landscape painter and member of the Royal Society of British Artists.
While the surname Brees has its roots in England, it has since been adopted and carried by families across various parts of the world, contributing to the rich tapestry of global surnames and their diverse histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brees
Among Census respondents with the surname Brees, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Brees 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 Brees surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 779
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 44
- Two or more races4.2% · 38
- Black or African American1.8% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brees
Brees 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
#28,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 843
+1 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 1,284 places
2020
#28,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 895
+52 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,049 | 842 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,333 | 843 | 0.29 | +1 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 1,284 places |
| 2020 | #28,366 | 895 | 0.30 | +52 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 33 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 Brees 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 | #28,333 | #28,366 | -0.1% |
| Count | 843 | 895 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.30 | 3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brees bearers went from 843 to 895 (+6.2% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,333 to #28,366.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Brees
FAQ
Brees surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brees?
Name Census estimates that about 1,026 living Americans carry the surname Brees. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 334,069 residents.
How common is Brees?
Brees ranks #28,366 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 895 people with the surname Brees. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,026), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Brees.
Has Brees become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brees went from 843 recorded bearers to 895. That is an increase of 52 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,333 to #28,366.
What does the Census say about the background of Brees?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brees, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Brees in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (779 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brees appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Brees (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 Brees mean?
A habitational name referring to someone from Bree or a place with a similar name. 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 Brees (0.30 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 have the last name Brees?
Find out how common the surname Brees is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.