Find out how popular the last name Bruggeman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bruggeman.

Bruggeman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bruggeman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bruggeman in America

Bruggeman is the 12140th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bruggeman surname appeared 2,566 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bruggeman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bruggeman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bruggeman

The surname Bruggeman is of Dutch origin, derived from the Dutch words "brugge" meaning bridge, and "man" meaning man or person. It likely originated in the Netherlands during the medieval period, possibly as an occupational surname for someone who lived or worked near a bridge.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bruggeman can be found in the Dutch city of Leiden in the late 16th century. A merchant named Pieter Bruggeman is mentioned in records from the year 1587. This suggests the name was already established in the region by that time.

In the 17th century, the spelling variations Bruggheman and Bruggeman were both used interchangeably. During this period, the name appears in various Dutch records and documents, indicating its presence throughout the Netherlands.

Historically, the Bruggeman surname has been associated with several notable individuals. Jan Bruggeman (1614-1668) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still life and genre paintings. Another notable figure was Jacobus Bruggeman (1647-1718), a Dutch Catholic priest and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects.

In the 18th century, the name Bruggeman began to spread beyond the Netherlands as Dutch emigrants settled in other parts of Europe and the Americas. One example is Johan Bruggeman (1734-1801), a Dutch-American farmer and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

Throughout the 19th century, the Bruggeman surname continued to be prominent in the Netherlands, with several individuals bearing the name achieving recognition in various fields. For instance, Adrianus Bruggeman (1810-1885) was a Dutch politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice in the Netherlands.

Other notable individuals with the Bruggeman surname include Joannes Bruggeman (1862-1928), a Dutch Catholic priest and educator who founded several schools in the Netherlands, and Martinus Bruggeman (1904-1984), a Dutch-American sculptor known for his abstract and modernist works.

While the origin of the Bruggeman surname can be traced back to the Netherlands, it has since spread across the globe, with families bearing this name found in various countries and regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bruggeman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bruggeman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bruggeman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bruggeman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bruggeman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bruggeman, please contact us.

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