2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bruener
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Brünner" meaning a person from Brno.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Bruener. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bruener surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Bruener in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruener, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Black (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bruener
The surname BRUENER has its origins in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "brun," meaning "brown," which was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone with brown hair or complexion. Alternatively, the name may have originated from a place name, such as the village of Brunen in Saxony.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BRUENER surname can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church registers) of the town of Görlitz, located in the Prussian province of Silesia, where a certain Hans BRUENER was mentioned in an entry from 1572. Another early reference comes from the Ortsfamilienbücher (local family books) of the town of Mühlhausen, where a Johann BRUENER was documented in 1619.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the BRUENER surname appears in various records across Germany, with some notable bearers including Johann Friedrich BRUENER (1660-1732), a Protestant theologian and author from Saxony, and Christoph BRUENER (1701-1774), a renowned painter from Nuremberg whose works can still be seen in several churches and museums.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as BRUNER, BRUHNER, and BRÜNER. One notable individual with this variation was Johann Jakob BRÜNER (1776-1856), a German-born botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research in South Africa and made significant contributions to the field of plant taxonomy.
In the 19th century, the BRUENER surname was well-established in various parts of Germany, with several individuals rising to prominence. These include Karl BRUENER (1820-1888), a German politician and member of the Reichstag (German parliament), and August BRUENER (1855-1925), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.
Throughout history, the BRUENER name has also been associated with various occupations and trades, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of its bearers. From farmers and craftsmen to scholars and professionals, the BRUENER surname has left its mark across various spheres of society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bruener
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruener, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Black (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bruener bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bruener surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 6
- Black or African American4.6% · 5
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bruener
Bruener appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-25 bearers (-20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 34,575 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+9 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -25 bearers (-20.0%) | Down 34,575 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 10,770 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bruener surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #160,975 | #150,205 | 6.7% |
| Count | 100 | 109 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bruener bearers went from 100 to 109 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 10,770 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #150,205.
FAQ
Bruener surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bruener?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Bruener. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Bruener?
Bruener ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Bruener. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bruener.
Has Bruener become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bruener went from 100 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 9 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Bruener?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruener, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Black (4.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bruener in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bruener appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Hispanic (5.5%), Black (4.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bruener (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bruener mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Brünner" meaning a person from Brno. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bruener (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Bruener?
Find out how many people have the surname Bruener on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.