The Bruce surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 53,419 people carried this name — #636 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,520 people counted. That is up 3% from 52,004 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Bruce surname
A Scottish surname, most notably of Robert the Bruce.
From a Norman place name, Brix, of disputed meaning.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Bruce» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 7 births for the Bruce name in 1890.
Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 129 people named Bruce live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Río Negro.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 59 people named Bruce.
Most of them — 46 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 10 départements, most often Somme.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
54 people named Bruce live in Switzerland.
They live in 9 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
749 people named Bruce are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Bruce in American newspapers,
1913–1940.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 842,800 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Bruce,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Robert I of Scotland 1274–1329 · monarch -
David II of Scotland 1324–1371 · monarch -
Robert Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury 1626–1685 · politician -
Alexander Bruce, 2nd Earl of Kincardine 1629–1680 · judge -
William Bruce 1630–1710 · architect
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 172 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Bruce.
- Broyard 134 · U.S. census
- Broyer 209 · U.S. census
- Brozek 906 · U.S. census
- Bru 322 · U.S. census
- Brua 209 · U.S. census
- Brubach 248 · U.S. census
- Bruch 1,975 · U.S. census
- Brucher 137 · U.S. census
- Bruck 2,588 · U.S. census
- Brucker 2,577 · U.S. census
- Bruckert 181 · U.S. census
- Bruckler 126 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Bruce is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.