The Braswell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 13,838 people carried this name — #2,605 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 21,300 people counted. That is up 3% from 13,383 in 2000.

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In the first U.S. census, 1790

22 families named Braswell, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 119 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 14
South Carolina 6
Virginia 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 231 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Braswell in American newspapers,
1908–1920.

Newspaper page from Gunnison News-champion carrying the name Braswell
Gunnison News-champion 1920-05-21
Newspaper page from The Lake County Times carrying the name Braswell
The Lake County Times 1908-10-31
Newspaper page from Gunnison News-champion carrying the name Braswell
Gunnison News-champion 1917-12-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 11,481 pages in all carry the name.

Who carried it

People named Braswell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Charles Braswell 1924–1974 · actor
  • Derik Braswell 1962–2020 · supervisor
  • Kevin Braswell 1979–2025 · basketball player

Wikidata (CC0) · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Braswell,
in the records of 2 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 States667 records

667 records of the Braswell name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 496
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 139
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 10
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 7
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 6
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 4
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 2
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 2
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Porter Braswell

    Born 1946; from New York, New York. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record William W. Braswell

    Born 1918 in Florida. Enlisted 1940 at Jacksonville; draftsman from Duval County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Riverside Memorial Park, Jacksonville, Florida.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1860 aboard the Australia from Liverpool, aged 18; laborer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 667 records for Braswell in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment 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, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2 records

2 records of the Braswell name in Australia Queensland State Archives indexes
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Braswell

    Arrived in Queensland in 1863 aboard the Light Brigade, aged 22.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Thos Braswell

    Held a land order in Queensland in 1863.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Braswell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Braswell 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.

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