The Brannan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,452 people carried this name — #4,753 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 39,500 people counted. That is up 9% from 6,820 in 2000.

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In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 18 births for the Brannan name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 10 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 14
Connacht 3
Leinster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

Brannan was recorded 37 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 684th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 53. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Brannan in American newspapers,
1852–1903.

Newspaper page from The Kenosha Telegraph carrying the name Brannan
The Kenosha Telegraph 1875-05-13
Newspaper page from Polynesian carrying the name Brannan
Polynesian 1852-03-27
Newspaper page from The Camden Chronicle carrying the name Brannan
The Camden Chronicle 1903-05-22

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 39,799 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Brannan in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1980s.

1,656 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Brannan. The most, 375, date from the 1940s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 545
Queensland 339
Victoria 279
South Australia 186
Tasmania 157
Western Australia 123
ACT (Canberra) 22
Northern Territory 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Brannan.

Who carried it

People named Brannan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Samuel Brannan
    Samuel Brannan 1819–1889 · politician
  • John Milton Brannan
    John Milton Brannan 1819–1892 · military officer
  • Eunice Dana Brannan
    Eunice Dana Brannan 1854–1936 · suffragist
  • Charles F. Brannan
    Charles F. Brannan 1903–1992 · politician
  • Lucy Emily Brannan d. 1949
  • Samuel S. Brannan 1835–1880 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Brannan,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,158 records

1,158 records of the Brannan name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 443
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 252
  • Other U.S. records 463
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Hilliard C. Brannan

    Born 1906 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Croft, South Carolina; auto mechanic. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Montlawn Memorial Park, Raleigh, North Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Kate Brannan

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the Bothnia from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 36; matron. From Newcastle, England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record David Brannan

    U.S. Army veteran of World War I. Born 1887, died 1967; buried at Wood National Cemetery, Wisconsin.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 1,158 records for Brannan in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia135 records

135 records of the Brannan name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 53
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 49
  • Other Australian records 33
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Brannan

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Earl St Vincent, arriving 1820; ticket of leave 1825. Native of London.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Brannan

    Arrived in Victoria in 1860 aboard the William Kirk, aged 19; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas L. Brannan

    Munition worker of Carlton, Victoria; died 1945.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 135 records for Brannan in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

United Kingdom44 records

44 records of the Brannan name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 30
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 8
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Brannan

    Buried in 1937 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 51.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Francis Brannan

    Buried in 1837 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 50.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Brannan

    Middlesex Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 44 records for Brannan in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada40 records

40 records of the Brannan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 32
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 4
  • Other Canadian records 4
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Samuel Peter Brannan

    Buried in 1993 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 72.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record David C. Brannan

    Died 1876 in Woods Harbour, Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Peter Robertson Brannan

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 40 records for Brannan in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Brannan name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Denis Brannan

    Born 1910 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrénées).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Brannan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Brannan is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Brannan volume
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