The Brett surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,482 people carried this name — #6,235 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 53,800 people counted. That is up 4% from 5,280 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Brett surname
A surname transferred from the nickname meaning "Breton, an inhabitant of Brittany".
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Brett» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 20 births for the Brett name in 1890.
Most were registered in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Sligo and Dublin.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 122 people named Brett live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 66 people named Brett.
20 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 17 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
40 people named Brett have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 93 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 6 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Greater Poland.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
22 people named Brett is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In print
Brett in American newspapers,
1892–1906.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 89,455 pages in all carry the name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Brett.
- Bresse 113 · U.S. census
- Bresson 444 · U.S. census
- Brest 441 · U.S. census
- Bret 132 · U.S. census
- Bretey 115 · U.S. census
- Breton 4,322 · U.S. census
- Bretton 261 · U.S. census
- Bretz 3,693 · U.S. census
- Breuer 4,138 · U.S. census
- Brevard 1,278 · U.S. census
- Brey 2,326 · U.S. census
- Breyer 1,248 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Brett 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.