2000
#732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,642
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.81
Uncommon Last name
Browning
An occupational surname referring to someone with dark hair or skin, or someone who makes brown dye.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 47,414 Americans carry the last name Browning. That puts it at #814 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,229 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Browning 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 Browning with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
47K
1 in 7,229
Census rank
#814
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
41K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 41,347 bearers of the surname Browning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 814th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Browning, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Browning
The surname Browning has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is a descriptive occupational name derived from the Old English words "brun" and "browne," meaning brown or brown-haired person. The name likely referred to someone who worked with brown dyes or fabrics, or perhaps someone with a distinctly brown complexion.
In the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, dated 1273, there is a record of a Robert le Brunnynge, an early spelling variation of the name. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Browning surname, but it does mention several place names that may have influenced its development, such as Brownsover in Warwickshire and Brownhills in Staffordshire.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Browning surname was Robert Browning, a renowned English poet born in 1812 and died in 1889. He is widely regarded as one of the foremost Victorian poets, known for his dramatic monologues and complex verse forms. His wife, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, was also a celebrated poet, born in 1806 and died in 1861.
Another notable figure with the Browning surname was John Browning, an American firearms designer born in 1855 and died in 1926. He is credited with developing several innovative and influential firearms designs, including the M1911 semi-automatic pistol and the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR).
In the 16th century, Sir John Browning was a prominent English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Maldon, Essex, in 1559. He was also the owner of the Debden estate in Essex, which remained in the Browning family for several generations.
The surname Browning has also been associated with various place names, such as Browning Hill in Gloucestershire, Browning's Farm in Kent, and Browning's Piece in Suffolk. These place names may have originated from individuals bearing the Browning surname who lived or owned land in those areas.
Throughout history, the Browning surname has been recorded in various spellings, including Browninge, Brouning, Brownyng, and Brownynge, reflecting the fluid nature of spelling conventions in earlier times. Despite these variations, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, reflecting its deep-rooted connection to the English language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Browning
Among Census respondents with the surname Browning, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Browning 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 Browning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 35,024
- Black or African American7.1% · 2,923
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,605
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,324
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 247
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 224
Timeline
Historical Census data for Browning
Browning 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
#797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,329
+687 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 14.69
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#814
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,347
-1,982 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 13.83
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #732 | 42,642 | 15.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #797 | 43,329 | 14.69 | +687 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #814 | 41,347 | 13.83 | -1,982 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 17 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 Browning 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 | #797 | #814 | -2.1% |
| Count | 43,329 | 41,347 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 14.69 | 13.83 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Browning bearers went from 43,329 to 41,347 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #797 to #814.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Browning
FAQ
Browning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Browning?
Name Census estimates that about 47,414 living Americans carry the surname Browning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,229 residents.
How common is Browning?
Browning ranks #814 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 41,347 people with the surname Browning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (47,414), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Browning.
Has Browning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Browning went from 43,329 recorded bearers to 41,347. That is a decrease of 1,982 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #797 to #814.
What does the Census say about the background of Browning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Browning, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Browning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (35,024 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Browning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Browning (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 Browning mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone with dark hair or skin, or someone who makes brown dye. 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 Browning (13.83 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 Browning?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.