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

Bruns, 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 Bruns surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bruns in America

Bruns is the 3234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bruns surname appeared 11,158 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Bruns.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bruns 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 Bruns

The surname Bruns originated in Germany and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "brunn," which means "spring" or "well," and likely referred to someone who lived near a spring or well.

The name was first recorded in the town of Braunschweig, located in the northern part of Germany. The earliest known record of the name appears in the Brockhoff Monastery records of 1189, where a person named Johannes Bruns is mentioned.

In the 13th century, the name began to spread to other parts of Germany, and variations of the spelling emerged, such as Brunn, Brunnen, and Brunse. These variations were often used interchangeably and reflected regional dialects and pronunciation differences.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Bruns was Heinrich Bruns, a German composer and organist who lived from 1487 to 1546. He was renowned for his contributions to the development of the Lutheran chorale.

Another prominent individual with the Bruns surname was Johann Christian Bruns, a German lawyer and philosopher who lived from 1742 to 1827. He was a prominent figure in the field of natural law and is considered one of the founders of modern German jurisprudence.

In the 19th century, the Bruns surname became more widespread across Europe and North America as a result of immigration. One notable figure from this period was Victor David Bruns, a German-American engineer and inventor who lived from 1812 to 1883. He is credited with developing the first successful kerosene lamp and improving the process of refining kerosene.

Another significant individual with the Bruns surname was Paul Jakob Bruns, a German surgeon who lived from 1836 to 1916. He made significant contributions to the field of gynecology and obstetrics, and is particularly known for his work on ovarian tumors.

In the 20th century, the Bruns surname continued to be prominent in various fields. One notable figure was Ernst Heinrich Bruns, a German mathematician who lived from 1848 to 1919. He made significant contributions to the field of geometry and is particularly known for his work on algebraic surfaces.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bruns

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

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

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

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