The Breese surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,130 people carried this name — #10,297 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 94,300 people counted. That is up 2% from 3,060 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Breese surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Rees’.

His entry covers Breese and Breeze.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 130 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Breese was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in North Wales: 50 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 200. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Breese and Breeze.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

North Wales 50
Norfolk 15
Suffolk 7

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Breese in American newspapers,
1877–1915.

Newspaper page from Centre Democrat carrying the name Breese
Centre Democrat 1881-10-20
Newspaper page from Richmond Times-dispatch carrying the name Breese
Richmond Times-dispatch 1915-09-26
Newspaper page from The Cincinnati Daily Star carrying the name Breese
The Cincinnati Daily Star 1877-05-31

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 46,125 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Breese in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

1,491 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Breese. The most, 326, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 882
Victoria 409
South Australia 67
Queensland 66
Western Australia 43
ACT (Canberra) 10
Tasmania 10
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Breese,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Samuel Livingston Breese
    Samuel Livingston Breese 1794–1870 · military officer
  • Sidney Breese
    Sidney Breese 1800–1878 · judge
  • Kidder Breese
    Kidder Breese 1831–1881 · military officer
  • Edward Breese
    Edward Breese 1835–1881 · lawyer
  • Samuel Sidney Breese 1768–1848 · lawyer
  • Sarah Breese 1795–1879

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 Breese,
in the records of 7 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 States326 records

326 records of the Breese name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 111
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 55
  • Other U.S. records 160
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Clayton K. Breese

    Born 1909 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1944 at New Cumberland; carpenter from Cumberland County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1993, buried at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Pennsylvania.

    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 Fritz Breese

    Arrived at New York in 1888 aboard the Amalfi from Hamburg, aged 26; laborer. From Prussia, Germany; bound for New York.

    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 Robert C. Breese

    U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War. Born 1950, died 1993; buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

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

Showing 3 of 326 records for Breese in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (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).

Australia49 records

49 records of the Breese name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 24
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 15
  • Other Australian records 10
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Breese

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844. Married 1844 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 36.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Breese

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Negotiator, aged 22; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 Mary Ann Breese

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Mary, arriving 1835; ticket of leave 1843.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 49 records for Breese in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Germany36 records

36 records of the Breese name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 35
  • German emigration and citizenship files 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Erich Breese

    Born 1897; from Greifswald. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 3 January 1917; then reported taken prisoner in the list of 20 June 1917; then listed as returned from captivity in the German casualty list of 9 May 1919 (Infantry Regiment No. 42).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Franz Breese

    Born 1877; from Kirchdorf, Grimmen. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 3 January 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Karl Breese

    From Mißlareuth. Reported wounded in the Saxon casualty list of 18 November 1914 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 243).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 36 records for Breese in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Canada8 records

8 records of the Breese name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 2
  • Other Canadian records 4
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Breese

    Came to Ontario in 1875 aboard the Sarmatian, landing at Quebec, bound for Chatsworth, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mary Breese

    Died 1963; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  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 William Laurence Breese

    Died in service in 1916.

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

Showing 3 of 8 records for Breese in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom8 records

8 records of the Breese name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 5
  • Welsh wills index cards 3
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record David Breese

    Will proved in 1924; of Portmadoc, Caernarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record M. Breese

    Gunner, Royal Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas Morgan Breese

    Will proved in 1933; of Towyn, Merioneth.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Breese in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands8 records

8 records of the Breese name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Cornelia Catharina Sophia Breese

    In the population register of Utrecht; born 1870 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Theresia Breese

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1842 in Amst.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Lieselotte Breese

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born in Bonn.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Breese in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France4 records

4 records of the Breese 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 Rene Charles Breese

    Born 1929 in Sarrebourg (Moselle); died 1999 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Guillaumette Josephine Breese

    Born 1905 in Moyeuvre-Grande; died 1999 in Dieuze (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jean Joseph Breese

    Born 1900 in Metz; died 1993 in Sarralbe (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Breese in France.

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 Breese.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Breese 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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