2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bruenning
An occupational surname referring to someone who brewed beer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Bruenning. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bruenning 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Bruenning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruenning, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bruenning
The surname Bruenning is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German words "brun" and "ing," which together mean "a dweller by the brook or stream." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name likely lived near a body of water.
The name Bruenning first appeared in historical records in the 13th century, with references found in the archives of the city of Bremen in northern Germany. It is believed that the name originated in this region, possibly in or around the town of Brunshausen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bruenning can be found in a document from the year 1287, which mentions a certain Henricus Bruenning, who was a landowner in the area around the city of Hamburg. Another early reference is to a Johann Bruenning, who was a merchant in the city of Lübeck in the late 14th century.
By the 16th century, the Bruenning name had spread to other parts of Germany, with various spellings such as Brünning, Brunning, and Brüning appearing in records. In 1562, a man named Hans Bruenning was listed as a citizen of the town of Magdeburg, while in 1587, a certain Caspar Bruenning was recorded as a member of the guild of brewers in the city of Cologne.
One notable bearer of the Bruenning name was Johann Bruenning (1589-1658), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg. He was a prominent figure in the religious debates of his time and authored several works on theological topics.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Bruenning (1737-1819), a German military officer who served in the Prussian army during the Napoleonic Wars. He participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
In the 19th century, the Bruenning surname continued to be found throughout Germany, with various members of the family pursuing careers in fields such as academia, law, and commerce. For example, Karl Bruenning (1822-1888) was a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the city of Berlin.
Overall, the surname Bruenning has a long and rich history dating back to the Middle Ages in Germany, with its origins likely tied to the geographic location of the earliest bearers of the name. Despite its widespread distribution across various regions of the country over the centuries, the name has maintained a strong connection to its German roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bruenning
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruenning, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bruenning 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 Bruenning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bruenning
Bruenning 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,652 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,652 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 5,600 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 Bruenning 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 | #136,449 | #142,049 | -4.1% |
| Count | 123 | 120 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bruenning bearers went from 123 to 120 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 5,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #142,049.
FAQ
Bruenning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bruenning?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Bruenning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Bruenning?
Bruenning ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Bruenning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Bruenning.
Has Bruenning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bruenning went from 123 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Bruenning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruenning, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Bruenning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bruenning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (5.8%), Black (0.8%). 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 Bruenning (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 Bruenning mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who brewed beer. 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 Bruenning (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 Americans have the surname Bruenning?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.