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

Bruno, 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 Bruno surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bruno in America

Bruno is the 1135th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bruno surname appeared 30,883 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Bruno.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bruno 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 Bruno

The surname Bruno is of Italian origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the personal name Bruno, which in turn comes from the Old German word "brun" meaning "brown" or "dark-haired".

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various Italian documents from the 11th and 12th centuries, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis and the Regesto di Farfa. It is believed that the name was initially adopted as a nickname or descriptive name for individuals with dark hair or complexion.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Bruno was the Italian philosopher and Dominican friar, Giordano Bruno (1548-1600). He was known for his cosmological theories and was eventually burned at the stake for heresy by the Roman Inquisition.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Leonardo Bruno (1632-1691), an Italian architect and engineer who was involved in the construction of several important buildings in Rome, including the Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Orto.

In the 19th century, the Italian mathematician and engineer, Giuseppe Bruno (1834-1904), made significant contributions to the field of structural engineering and was responsible for the design of several bridges and viaducts in Italy.

The surname Bruno has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as Bruno Canavese, a town in the province of Turin, and Bruno di Notte, a hamlet in the province of Palermo.

Other notable individuals with the surname Bruno include Vincenzo Bruno (1785-1838), an Italian poet and playwright, and Benedetto Bruno (1783-1858), an Italian painter known for his historical and religious works.

While the surname Bruno is predominantly Italian in origin, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of Europe and the Americas due to migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bruno

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

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

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

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