2000
#14,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,845
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Brunell
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of brown bread or a baker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,031 Americans carry the last name Brunell. That puts it at #15,833 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,761 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brunell 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 Brunell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 168,761
Census rank
#15,833
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,771 bearers of the surname Brunell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15833rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brunell
The surname Brunell has its origins in medieval England, originating from the Old English words "brun" meaning brown and "hyll" meaning hill or slope. It was likely a name given to someone who lived near a brown-colored hill or slope.
The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being Robertus de Brunhull in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1212. Other early spellings include Brunhill, Brounhull, and Brownhill.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname, such as Brunhill in Oxfordshire and Brunhull in Wiltshire. These place names suggest the presence of people associated with brown hills or slopes in those areas.
Notably, a Sir Thomas Brunell (c.1370-1438) was a prominent figure during the Hundred Years' War, serving as the Lord Treasurer of England under King Henry V. He was also a notable diplomat and played a crucial role in negotiating the Treaty of Troyes in 1420.
Another individual bearing the name was John Brunell (c.1550-1610), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1602 to 1603.
In the 16th century, a family of Brunells from Somerset, England, were known for their involvement in the wool trade. One member, Richard Brunell (c.1520-1585), was a successful merchant and landowner.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Captain Thomas Brunell (c.1610-1670) fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was instrumental in the siege of Bristol in 1645.
The name Brunell also has connections to the engineering and architectural fields. Isambard Kingdom Brunell (1806-1859) was a renowned English civil engineer responsible for designing notable structures such as the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol and the Great Western Railway.
These examples demonstrate the long-standing presence of the surname Brunell in various regions of England, spanning several centuries and encompassing individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brunell
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Brunell 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 Brunell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 1,592
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 72
- Two or more races3.7% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 19
- Black or African American0.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brunell
Brunell 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
#14,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,978
+133 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 186 places
2020
#15,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,771
-207 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 883 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,764 | 1,845 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,950 | 1,978 | 0.67 | +133 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 186 places |
| 2020 | #15,833 | 1,771 | 0.59 | -207 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 883 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 Brunell 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 | #14,950 | #15,833 | -5.9% |
| Count | 1,978 | 1,771 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.59 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brunell bearers went from 1,978 to 1,771 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 883 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,950 to #15,833.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Brunell
FAQ
Brunell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brunell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,031 living Americans carry the surname Brunell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,761 residents.
How common is Brunell?
Brunell ranks #15,833 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,771 people with the surname Brunell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,031), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Brunell.
Has Brunell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brunell went from 1,978 recorded bearers to 1,771. That is a decrease of 207 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,950 to #15,833.
What does the Census say about the background of Brunell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Brunell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (1,592 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brunell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Brunell (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 Brunell mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of brown bread or a baker. 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 Brunell (0.59 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 Brunell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.