Explore the Family Name Brea

The meaning of Brea

Galician: 1. topographic name from brea ‘footpath’. 2. in some cases, possibly a nickname from Spanish brea ‘pitch’. This surname (in any of the two possible senses; see also 1 above) is most common in the Dominican Republic. Compare Blea. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Juan, Leandro, Luis, Manuel, Cesar, Jose, Julio, Altagracia, Francisco, Juana, Alba, Amador.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Brea in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Brea has shown considerable growth over the decade between 2000 and 2010. The ranking of the surname went up significantly from 21,565 in 2000 to 19,062 in 2010, a rise by 11.61 percent. Additionally, the total count of individuals with the surname Brea increased by 26.6 percent from 1,128 in 2000 to 1,428 in 2010. The proportion per 100K people also witnessed an increase from 0.42 to 0.48, marking a 14.29 percent change.

20002010Change
Rank#21,565#19,06211.61%
Count1,1281,42826.6%
Proportion per 100k0.420.4814.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Brea

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data again provides an interesting insight into the distribution of the Brea surname. As of 2010, the majority of individuals with this surname identified as Hispanic, comprising 82.35 percent, up from 79.26 percent in 2000. Over the same period, the percentage of individuals identifying as White decreased slightly from 11.17 to 9.87. The Black demographic also saw a small decrease from 7.36 to 6.65 percent. However, those identifying as two or more races experienced a significant drop from 1.77 percent to 0.56 percent. The Asian/Pacific Islander category noted a complete decline, while there were no individuals who claimed American Indian and Alaskan Native ancestry in either year.

20002010Change
Hispanic79.26%82.35%3.9%
White11.17%9.87%-11.64%
Black7.36%6.65%-9.65%
Two or More Races1.77%0.56%-68.36%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.44%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%