# Brain (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/brain/  
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) | 1,533 |
| US rank (2010) | 18,156 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 201,400 people |
| Change since 2000 | +7.5% (1,426 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From the Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, from mac an Bhreitheamhan (“son of the judge”), from breitheamh (“judge”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Brain 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) | 91% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |

## Similar surnames

Braun, Brian, Brann, Brien, Brun, Beran, Bruni, Brawn, Bran, Baroni, Brion, Briney.

## 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.