2000
#105,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Bruman
A surname derived from the Dutch word "brouwer" meaning brewer or beer-maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Bruman. 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 Bruman 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 Bruman 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 Bruman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bruman
The surname Bruman is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Dutch word "broek," meaning "marsh" or "swampy area," and the suffix "-man," indicating a person or inhabitant. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near or worked in a marshy region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bruman can be found in the records of the city of Amsterdam, dated around the 15th century. It appears in various spellings, such as "Brouckman" and "Brouckmanne," reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings during that time.
In the 16th century, the Bruman name gained prominence in the Dutch city of Leiden, where several members of the family were involved in the textile trade. Johannes Bruman (1492-1558) was a notable merchant and cloth dyer who played a significant role in the city's economic development.
During the 17th century, the Bruman family expanded its influence, with members holding prominent positions in various Dutch cities. Pieter Bruman (1589-1670) was a respected lawyer and magistrate in The Hague, while Cornelis Bruman (1622-1691) was a renowned painter known for his landscapes and seascapes.
As the Dutch Republic established colonies in the Americas and Asia, the Bruman name spread across the globe. One notable figure was Willem Bruman (1727-1803), a Dutch East India Company official who served as the Governor of Malacca from 1781 to 1789.
In the 19th century, the Bruman family continued to make its mark in various fields. Hendrik Bruman (1810-1879) was a celebrated architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Amsterdam, while Antje Bruman (1845-1925) was a pioneering women's rights activist and advocate for education reform.
While the Bruman surname has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with variations in spelling and pronunciation emerging over time. However, its connection to the marshy landscapes of the Low Countries remains a defining characteristic of this ancient and historically significant name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bruman
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bruman 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 Bruman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 114
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bruman
Bruman 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-50 bearers (-31.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 47,254 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+13 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,579 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #105,374 | 157 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -50 bearers (-31.8%) | Down 47,254 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 10,579 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 Bruman 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 | #152,628 | #142,049 | 6.9% |
| Count | 107 | 120 | 12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bruman bearers went from 107 to 120 (+12.1% change). The surname moved up 10,579 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #142,049.
FAQ
Bruman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bruman?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Bruman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Bruman?
Bruman 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 Bruman. 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 Bruman.
Has Bruman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bruman went from 107 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 13 (+12.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Bruman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Bruman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bruman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Bruman (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 Bruman mean?
A surname derived from the Dutch word "brouwer" meaning brewer or beer-maker. 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 Bruman (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 Bruman?
If you just want to know how many people are called Bruman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.