2000
#10,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,899
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Bruning
A German and Dutch toponymic surname indicating an origin near a place cleared by burning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,062 Americans carry the last name Bruning. That puts it at #11,306 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,938 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bruning 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
3.1K
1 in 111,938
Census rank
#11,306
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,670 bearers of the surname Bruning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11306th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruning, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bruning
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruning, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bruning 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 Bruning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,461
- Two or more races3.1% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bruning
Bruning 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
#10,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,965
+66 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 553 places
2020
#11,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,670
-295 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 548 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,205 | 2,899 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,758 | 2,965 | 1.01 | +66 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 553 places |
| 2020 | #11,306 | 2,670 | 0.89 | -295 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 548 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 Bruning 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 | #10,758 | #11,306 | -5.1% |
| Count | 2,965 | 2,670 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.89 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bruning bearers went from 2,965 to 2,670 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 548 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,758 to #11,306.
FAQ
Bruning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bruning?
Name Census estimates that about 3,062 living Americans carry the surname Bruning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,938 residents.
How common is Bruning?
Bruning ranks #11,306 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,670 people with the surname Bruning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,062), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Bruning.
Has Bruning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bruning went from 2,965 recorded bearers to 2,670. That is a decrease of 295 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,758 to #11,306.
What does the Census say about the background of Bruning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruning, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Bruning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,461 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bruning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Bruning (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 Bruning mean?
A German and Dutch toponymic surname indicating an origin near a place cleared by burning. 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 Bruning (0.89 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 common is the surname Bruning?
You can see how many people have the last name Bruning on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.