Explore the Family Name Brake
The meaning of Brake
1. English (Somerset and Dorset): topographic name for someone who lived by a clump of bushes or by a patch of bracken. Brake ‘thicket’ and brake ‘bracken’ were homonyms in Middle English. The first is from Old English bracu; the second is by folk etymology from northern Middle English braken, -en being taken as a plural ending. After the words had fallen together, their senses also became confused. 2. North German: habitational name from any of several places so named, notably a town on the Weser River, or a topographic name from Middle Low German brāke mening either ‘breach in the dyke’ or ‘brushwood’. 3. Dutch (Te Brake, Van de Brake): topographic name from braak ‘wasteland, fallow’, or ‘breached (dyke)’. History: Wilhelm Joseph Dietrich, Baron von Brake, of Hanover (Germany), is said to have settled in Nansemond, VA, c.1730. His son Johann Jacob (John) Brake was the progenitor of the VA and WV Brakes family; another son, also named Jacob Brake, settled in Edgecombe County, NC, in 1742, where he sired seven sons and two daughters.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Brake in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Brake" has seen a minor decline in ranking between 2000 and 2010, moving slightly down from 5541st place to 5591st. However, the count of individuals with this surname has actually increased by 7.91 percent during the same time period, from 5764 to 6220. The proportion of people carrying the "Brake" surname per 100k also decreased by 1.4 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,541 | #5,591 | -0.9% |
| Count | 5,764 | 6,220 | 7.91% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.14 | 2.11 | -1.4% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Brake
The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides insight into the ethnic identity associated with the surname "Brake". Between 2000 and 2010, there appears to have been an increase in the diversity within this group. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased by 12.24 percent, but the percentage of those reporting two or more races rose by 30.56 percent. During this period, the percentage identifying as white decreased slightly by 2.99 percent, while the percentage of Hispanics and American Indian and Alaskan Natives increased by 67.11 percent and 75.36 percent respectively. The percentage identifying as black also increased by 13.44 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.01% | 87.32% | -2.99% |
| Black | 5.88% | 6.67% | 13.44% |
| Hispanic | 1.49% | 2.49% | 67.11% |
| Two or More Races | 1.44% | 1.88% | 30.56% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.69% | 1.21% | 75.36% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.49% | 0.43% | -12.24% |
Brake ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Brake is British & Irish, which comprises 56.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.7%) and Scandinavian (2.9%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Indigenous American, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, and Chinese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 56.8% |
| French & German | 25.7% |
| Scandinavian | 2.9% |
| Other | 14.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Brake
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Brake have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 90.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 90.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 90.30% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 90.30% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 90.30% |
What Brake haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Brake is R-Z225, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z225 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and I-M253, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Mather, Plunkett, Shockley, Scoggins, Berrios, Reynoso, Tamez, Feliciano, Puckett, Ducharme.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Brake surname are: H1, K1a, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Brake have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Brake" Surname 30.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Brake" Surname 37.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Brake" Surname 25.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Brake" Surname 15.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Brake?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Brake are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition