2000
#9,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,335
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Brunette
A surname derived from the French word "brunet," meaning "brown-haired" or "dark-haired."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,792 Americans carry the last name Brunette. That puts it at #9,421 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,389 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brunette 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
3.8K
1 in 90,389
Census rank
#9,421
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,307 bearers of the surname Brunette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9421st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunette, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brunette
The surname Brunette is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "brun" meaning "brown." It was initially used as a descriptive nickname referring to someone with dark brown hair or a tanned complexion.
The name can be traced back to the early 12th century in regions of northern and central France. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robertus Brunettus, mentioned in a 1200 tax roll from the village of Chartres, located in the Île-de-France region.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, including Brunet, Brunete, and Brunette, in medieval records and charters from different parts of France. For instance, a certain Jehan Brunette was listed as a resident of Paris in a 1275 census.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Brunette. However, it does mention a few individuals with the given name or nickname "Brun," which could be a precursor to the later surname.
Among the notable historical figures bearing the surname Brunette are Jean Brunette (c. 1345-1415), a French merchant and diplomat who served as a counselor to King Charles VI. Another prominent figure was Marguerite Brunette (1590-1663), a French businesswoman and philanthropist who founded a hospital and orphanage in Paris.
Other noteworthy individuals include:
- François Brunette (1649-1719), a French artist and engraver known for his portraits and religious works.
- Gustave Brunette (1805-1880), a French politician and writer who served as a deputy in the National Assembly.
- Marie Brunette (1858-1932), a French educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded several schools for girls.
Over time, the surname Brunette spread beyond France to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas, carried by French immigrants and settlers. It has also undergone various spelling variations, such as Brunet, Brunett, and Brunetti, in different regions and languages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brunette
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunette, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Brunette 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 Brunette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 2,860
- Two or more races4.7% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 81
- Black or African American2.0% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brunette
Brunette 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
#9,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,459
+124 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 388 places
2020
#9,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,307
-152 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,011 | 3,335 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,399 | 3,459 | 1.17 | +124 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 388 places |
| 2020 | #9,421 | 3,307 | 1.11 | -152 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 22 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 Brunette 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 | #9,399 | #9,421 | -0.2% |
| Count | 3,459 | 3,307 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.11 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brunette bearers went from 3,459 to 3,307 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,399 to #9,421.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Brunette
FAQ
Brunette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brunette?
Name Census estimates that about 3,792 living Americans carry the surname Brunette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,389 residents.
How common is Brunette?
Brunette ranks #9,421 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,307 people with the surname Brunette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,792), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Brunette.
Has Brunette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brunette went from 3,459 recorded bearers to 3,307. That is a decrease of 152 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,399 to #9,421.
What does the Census say about the background of Brunette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunette, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (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 Brunette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (2,860 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brunette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (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 Brunette (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 Brunette mean?
A surname derived from the French word "brunet," meaning "brown-haired" or "dark-haired." 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 Brunette (1.11 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 are called Brunette?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Brunette at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.