2000
#37,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 550
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Brest
A surname derived from the city of Brest in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 519 Americans carry the last name Brest. That puts it at #49,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 660,413 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brest 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
519
1 in 660,413
Census rank
#49,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
453
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 453 bearers of the surname Brest in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brest, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brest
The surname BREST originates from France, where it can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the name of the city of Brest, located in the Brittany region of northwestern France. The name itself is believed to come from the Breton word "brest," meaning "promontory" or "hill."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BREST can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Brest, a 14th-century document listing the names of citizens of the city of Brest. This document is a valuable historical record that provides insight into the lives and occupations of the inhabitants of the region during that time.
In the 15th century, the surname BREST appeared in various other historical records, such as the Livre des Censiers de Brest, which documented landowners and taxpayers in the area. This suggests that the BREST family may have held influential positions or owned property in the region during that era.
One notable figure bearing the surname BREST was Jean Brest (1595-1667), a French naval officer and explorer who played a significant role in the colonization of the Caribbean islands. He was appointed Governor of the French West Indies in 1650 and is credited with establishing several settlements in the region.
Another individual of note was Gustave Brest (1801-1874), a French politician and lawyer who served as a member of the French National Assembly in the mid-19th century. He was a vocal advocate for legal reform and played a crucial role in shaping the laws of his time.
In the realm of art, the name BREST is associated with Lucien Brest (1870-1935), a French painter and sculptor known for his Impressionist works depicting scenes from everyday life in Paris and the surrounding countryside.
Moving into the 20th century, the name BREST gained further recognition with Jacques Brest (1914-1997), a renowned French film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his critically acclaimed films, such as "Hiroshima Mon Amour" and "Last Year at Marienbad," which explored themes of memory, identity, and the complexities of human relationships.
Additionally, the BREST surname has been carried by prominent figures in various other fields, including science, literature, and academia, further contributing to its historical significance and cultural impact.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brest
Among Census respondents with the surname Brest, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Brest 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 Brest surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 436
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 7
- Two or more races1.1% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brest
Brest 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
#47,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 441
-109 bearers (-19.8%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 10,028 places
2020
#49,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 453
+12 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 2,023 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,938 | 550 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,966 | 441 | 0.15 | -109 bearers (-19.8%) | Down 10,028 places |
| 2020 | #49,989 | 453 | 0.15 | +12 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 2,023 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 Brest 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 | #47,966 | #49,989 | -4.2% |
| Count | 441 | 453 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.15 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brest bearers went from 441 to 453 (+2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,023 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,966 to #49,989.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Brest
FAQ
Brest surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brest?
Name Census estimates that about 519 living Americans carry the surname Brest. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 660,413 residents.
How common is Brest?
Brest ranks #49,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 453 people with the surname Brest. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (519), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Brest.
Has Brest become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brest went from 441 recorded bearers to 453. That is an increase of 12 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #47,966 to #49,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Brest?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brest, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Brest in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (436 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brest appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Hispanic (1.5%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Brest (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 Brest mean?
A surname derived from the city of Brest in France. 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 Brest (0.15 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 surname Brest?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.