2000
#13,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,982
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Bruni
An Italian surname referring to someone with brown hair or a dark complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,301 Americans carry the last name Bruni. That puts it at #14,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,959 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bruni 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bruni with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,959
Census rank
#14,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,007 bearers of the surname Bruni in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruni, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bruni
The surname BRUNI originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian adjective "bruno" meaning "brown" or "dark" in reference to hair or complexion color. The name likely emerged as a nickname for someone with dark features.
BRUNI was first recorded in the early 13th century in Tuscan regional records. Similar early spellings include Bruna, Brunni, and Brun. The name appears in the famous medieval text Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, referring to a character named Bruno.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Leonardo Bruni (1370-1444), a celebrated Renaissance humanist, historian, and statesman from Florence. He served as the Chancellor of the Florentine Republic and wrote influential works on history and rhetoric.
Another notable figure was Antonio Bruni (1593-1635), an Italian painter active in Rome during the Baroque period. He was known for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches in the city.
In the 18th century, Francesco Bruni (1693-1757) was an Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and celestial mechanics.
The surname has also been associated with several place names in Italy, such as Brunetta, a village in the province of Varese, and Bruni, a hamlet in the province of Teramo.
Other historical figures bearing the BRUNI surname include Remedio Bruni (1595-1635), an Italian composer and organist active in Venice during the early Baroque era, and Giambattista Bruni (1855-1924), an Italian politician and journalist who served as a member of the Italian Parliament.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bruni
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruni, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bruni 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 Bruni surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 1,781
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 157
- Two or more races2.2% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bruni
Bruni 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
#14,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,051
+69 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 561 places
2020
#14,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,007
-44 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,971 | 1,982 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,532 | 2,051 | 0.70 | +69 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 561 places |
| 2020 | #14,339 | 2,007 | 0.67 | -44 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 193 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 Bruni 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 | #14,532 | #14,339 | 1.3% |
| Count | 2,051 | 2,007 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.67 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bruni bearers went from 2,051 to 2,007 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 193 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,532 to #14,339.
FAQ
Bruni surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bruni?
Name Census estimates that about 2,301 living Americans carry the surname Bruni. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,959 residents.
How common is Bruni?
Bruni ranks #14,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,007 people with the surname Bruni. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,301), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bruni.
Has Bruni become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bruni went from 2,051 recorded bearers to 2,007. That is a decrease of 44 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,532 to #14,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Bruni?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruni, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Bruni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (1,781 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bruni appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (7.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Bruni (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 Bruni mean?
An Italian surname referring to someone with brown hair or a dark complexion. 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 Bruni (0.67 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 share the surname Bruni?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.