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

Brunette, 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 Brunette surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brunette in America

Brunette is the 9399th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brunette surname appeared 3,459 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 Brunette.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brunette 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 Brunette

The surname Brunette is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "brun" meaning "brown." It was initially used as a descriptive nickname referring to someone with dark brown hair or a tanned complexion.

The name can be traced back to the early 12th century in regions of northern and central France. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robertus Brunettus, mentioned in a 1200 tax roll from the village of Chartres, located in the Île-de-France region.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, including Brunet, Brunete, and Brunette, in medieval records and charters from different parts of France. For instance, a certain Jehan Brunette was listed as a resident of Paris in a 1275 census.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Brunette. However, it does mention a few individuals with the given name or nickname "Brun," which could be a precursor to the later surname.

Among the notable historical figures bearing the surname Brunette are Jean Brunette (c. 1345-1415), a French merchant and diplomat who served as a counselor to King Charles VI. Another prominent figure was Marguerite Brunette (1590-1663), a French businesswoman and philanthropist who founded a hospital and orphanage in Paris.

Other noteworthy individuals include:

• François Brunette (1649-1719), a French artist and engraver known for his portraits and religious works.
• Gustave Brunette (1805-1880), a French politician and writer who served as a deputy in the National Assembly.
• Marie Brunette (1858-1932), a French educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded several schools for girls.

Over time, the surname Brunette spread beyond France to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas, carried by French immigrants and settlers. It has also undergone various spelling variations, such as Brunet, Brunett, and Brunetti, in different regions and languages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brunette

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

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 Brunette 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 Brunette 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 Brunette was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!