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

Bruning, 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 Bruning surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bruning in America

Bruning is the 10758th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bruning surname appeared 2,965 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 Bruning.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bruning 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 Bruning

The surname Bruning originated in Germany and the Netherlands, deriving from the Old German word "brunen" or "brunnen," meaning a spring or well. It likely referred to someone who lived near a spring or well, or perhaps a profession related to maintaining or constructing wells.

In the Netherlands, the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early records showing variations such as Bruninc, Brunynghe, and Brunyng. One of the earliest known bearers was Jan Brunynck, recorded in Dordrecht in 1367. The Dutch branches often anglicized the name to Browning or Bruning upon emigration.

In Germany, the name was prevalent in various regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. Early records from the 14th century show spellings like Bruninge and Bruninck. Notable Germans with this surname include Johann Bruning (1525-1589), a Protestant theologian and reformer from Lüneburg.

The Bruning name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, recorded as Bruninc in Kent and Essex, suggesting the name's presence in England shortly after the Norman Conquest. Variations like Bruninge and Brownynge were common in medieval English records.

Other notable bearers of the Bruning surname include:

1. Gerard Bruning (1634-1718), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life works.
2. Heinrich Bruning (1885-1970), a German politician and Chancellor of Germany from 1930 to 1932.
3. Christian Bruning (1736-1805), a German-born American Revolutionary War soldier and farmer in Pennsylvania.
4. John Bruning (1907-1993), an American baseball player and coach who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox.
5. Raoul Bruning (1908-1981), a Dutch-American artist and painter known for his abstract expressionist works.

While the Bruning surname has its roots in medieval Germany and the Netherlands, it has since spread worldwide, particularly to North America, following emigration patterns. The name's origins can be traced back to the Old German language and its association with springs or wells, reflecting the diverse histories and migrations that have shaped modern surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bruning

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

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

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

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