The Bruns surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 11,158 people carried this name — #3,234 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 26,500 people counted. That is up 3% from 10,876 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Bruns surname

Dutch and North German surname, variant of Brun, ultimately from the adjective bruin (“brown”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Bruns» (German), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

65 people named Bruns 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

Zurich 21
Bern 13
Aargau 7
Basel-Stadt 6
Thurgau 5
Graubünden 4
Basel-Landschaft 3
St. Gallen 3

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 France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 26 people named Bruns.

6 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Aube.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 6
Aube 13
Paris 3
Marne 1
Moselle 1
Haut-Rhin 1
Seine-Saint-Denis 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

21 people named Bruns have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 68 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Podlaskie.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Podlaskie 11
Pomeranian 5
West Pomeranian 3
Lublin 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

47 people named Bruns is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 47

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).

In print

Bruns in American newspapers,
1874–1925.

Newspaper page from The Montgomery Advertiser carrying the name Bruns
The Montgomery Advertiser 1925-11-08
Newspaper page from The Telegraph-courier carrying the name Bruns
The Telegraph-courier 1921-11-24
Newspaper page from The Kenosha Telegraph carrying the name Bruns
The Kenosha Telegraph 1874-05-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Bruns in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1970s.

2,849 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bruns. The most, 601, date from the 1910s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 2.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 790
New South Wales 556
Queensland 541
Western Australia 498
South Australia 415
Tasmania 23
ACT (Canberra) 14

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bruns.

Who carried it

People named Bruns,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Paul Jakob Bruns
    Paul Jakob Bruns 1743–1814 · librarian
  • Victor von Bruns
    Victor von Bruns 1812–1883 · physician
  • Nils Bruns d. 2010
  • Peter Bruns 1641–1698 · musician
  • Pantaleon Bruns 1670–1727 · Catholic priest
  • Heinrich Julius Bruns 1746–1794 · pedagogue

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Bruns,
in the records of 10 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,750 records

2,750 records of the Bruns name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,347
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 771
  • Other U.S. records 632
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Harris Bruns

    Born 1947; from Cushing, Oklahoma. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery, New Mexico.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Waldemar S. Bruns

    Born 1919 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Sam Houston; farm hand from Kimble County. U.S. Army veteran; died 1998, buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Roosevelt, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Trientje Bruns

    Arrived at New York in 1864 aboard the Atalanta from Bremen, aged 23; laborer. From Ostfriesland, Germany; bound for Illinois.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,750 records for Bruns in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands2,878 records

2,878 records of the Bruns name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1,611
  • Dutch population registers 1,050
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 217
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johann Bruns

    Married in 1885 in Amsterdam; hodman. Died 1907 in Veenhuizen (Norg), aged 56.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Drents Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anna Helena Bruns

    Married in 1869 in Emmen; labourer, born 1839 in Emmen. Died 1881 in Roswinkel (Emmen), aged 42.

    Open Archives, Drents Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Meindert Bruns

    Married in 1843 in Beerta; farmhand, born 1812 in Bunderhammrich. Died 1895 in Beerta, aged 82.

    Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,878 records for Bruns in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany2,107 records

2,107 records of the Bruns name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 2,105
  • German emigration and citizenship files 2
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Heinrich Bruns

    Born 1887; from Moritzberg, Marienburg. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 5 December 1918 (Infantry Regiment No. 368).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Joachim Heinrich Georg Bruns

    Emigrated to America in 1857.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Johann Bruns

    Naturalised in 1908.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)

Showing 3 of 2,107 records for Bruns in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Australia64 records

64 records of the Bruns name in Australia
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 29
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 27
  • Other Australian records 8
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Bruns

    Arrived in Victoria in 1856 aboard the George Marshall, aged 29; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Herman E. Bruns

    Sharebroker of Mid Brighton, Victoria; died 1944.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joh C. M. Bruns

    Arrived in Queensland in 1870 aboard the Humboldt, aged 47.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 64 records for Bruns in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

France15 records

15 records of the Bruns name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Yvonne Henriette Camille Bruns

    Born 1897 in Plancy-l'Abbaye; died 1977 in Romilly-sur-Seine (Aube).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Ernest Henri Theodore Bruns

    Born 1914 in Germany; died 1995 in Metz (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Ingeborg Elise Bruns

    Born 1925 in Germany; died 1993 in Angers (Maine-et-Loire).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Bruns in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Canada5 records

5 records of the Bruns name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Other Canadian records 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Francis M. Bruns

    Died 1924; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Donald Albert Bruns

    Died 1960 in Noel Road, Hants, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 2 of 5 records for Bruns in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Bruns name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Charlotte Bruns

    Died 1904, aged 79; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Bruns in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Belgium2 records

2 records of the Bruns name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Joannes Sebastianus Bruns

    Born 1836 in Neerrepen.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Tongeren (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Bruns in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Bruns name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. W. G. Bruns

    Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Norway1 record

1 record of the Bruns name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Knud Olaus Bruns

    Census of 1910: Nyveiensgate, Kristiansund; fisherman, born 1861 in Haslebø i Bremsnes.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Bruns.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Bruns 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.

See the Bruns volume
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