Bruin
A Dutch given name meaning "brown" or "brown bear".
Name Census estimates that about 607 living Americans carry the first name Bruin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bruin today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bruin births was 2021 (76 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bruin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
607
~ 1 in 564,669 Americans
Peak year
2021
76 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,217
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Bruin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bruin from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 259 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bruin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bruin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bruins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Bruin, while Washington, Utah, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bruin
The given name Bruin has its roots in the Middle Dutch and Middle Flemish languages, stemming from the word "bruin" which means "brown" or "dusky." This name originated in the Low Countries during the medieval period, spanning modern-day Belgium, Netherlands, and parts of northern France.
One of the earliest known references to the name Bruin can be found in the 13th-century Middle Dutch epic poem "Van den vos Reynaerde" (Reynard the Fox), where it is used as a proper name for a bear character. This literary work is considered a significant piece of medieval Dutch literature and showcases the name's early association with the animal.
In the 14th century, the name Bruin gained prominence as a personal name in the Low Countries, particularly among the Dutch-speaking population. One notable bearer of this name was Bruin de Jonge (1330-1392), a Flemish nobleman and military leader who played a crucial role in the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
During the Renaissance period, the name Bruin continued to be used across the Low Countries. A famous example is the Dutch painter Bruin Harmensz Bakhuizen (1629-1708), renowned for his marine landscapes and seascapes. His works are displayed in numerous museums, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
In the 18th century, the name Bruin found its way into English literature through the works of Jonathan Swift. In his satirical novel "Gulliver's Travels," published in 1726, one of the characters is named Bruin, a reference to the bear-like qualities of the character.
Another notable bearer of the name was Bruin Romkes (1753-1835), a Frisian astronomer and mathematician from the Netherlands. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and is credited with discovering several comets and asteroids.
While the name Bruin has its origins in the Low Countries, it has been adopted and used in various parts of the world over time. Some other notable individuals with this given name include Bruin Richardson (1772-1828), an American politician and soldier from Massachusetts, and Bruin Zambon (1935-2009), an Italian racing cyclist and Olympic medalist.
People
Bruin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bruin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bruin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bruin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 607 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bruin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 564,669 US residents.
Is Bruin a common name?
We classify Bruin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 612 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bruin most popular?
The single biggest year for Bruin was 2021, when 76 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bruin is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bruin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bruin in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.