# Bracken (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/bracken/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 8,265 |
| US rank (2010) | 4,299 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 37,356 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.8% (8,042 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɹækən/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

* As an Irish surname, from Ó Breacáin (“descendant of Breacán”), from Breacán, a name diminutive of breac (“spotted”) * As an English surname, from Middle English bracken (“fern”) * As an English habitational surname, from Bracon Ash in Norfolk, Bracken in Yorkshire * As a German surname, from Middle Low German braak (“fallow”) Also compare Brackeen.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Bracken in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 90% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 5.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.1% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
| Two or more races | 1.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Bracken in the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

## People named Bracken

- Eddie Bracken, American actor (1915–2002)
- Alexandra Bracken, American author
- Bertram Bracken, American film actor and director (1879-1952)
- Thomas Bracken, Anglo-New Zealand poet, journalist, politician (1843–1898)

## Similar surnames

Brackin, Burkeen, Brackney, Brockman, Barcenas, Briceno, Bruckner, Brickner, Bracamontes, Bracamonte, Brickman, Brackins.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.