2000
#1,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,729
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.65
Uncommon Last name
Bruno
An Italian surname derived from the Germanic name Bruno, meaning "brown" and likely referring to a person with brown hair or skin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 34,145 Americans carry the last name Bruno. That puts it at #1,160 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,038 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bruno 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bruno with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 10,038
Census rank
#1,160
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,776 bearers of the surname Bruno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1160th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruno, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.0%) and Black (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bruno
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruno, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.0%) and Black (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bruno 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 Bruno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.2% · 20,905
- Hispanic or Latino18.0% · 5,362
- Black or African American7.3% · 2,187
- Two or more races2.4% · 718
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 446
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 158
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bruno
Bruno 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
#1,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,883
+2,154 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 10.47
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#1,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,776
-1,107 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 9.96
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,119 | 28,729 | 10.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,135 | 30,883 | 10.47 | +2,154 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #1,160 | 29,776 | 9.96 | -1,107 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 25 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 Bruno 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 | #1,135 | #1,160 | -2.2% |
| Count | 30,883 | 29,776 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 10.47 | 9.96 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bruno bearers went from 30,883 to 29,776 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,135 to #1,160.
FAQ
Bruno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bruno?
Name Census estimates that about 34,145 living Americans carry the surname Bruno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,038 residents.
How common is Bruno?
Bruno ranks #1,160 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,776 people with the surname Bruno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (34,145), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Bruno.
Has Bruno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bruno went from 30,883 recorded bearers to 29,776. That is a decrease of 1,107 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,135 to #1,160.
What does the Census say about the background of Bruno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruno, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.0%) and Black (7.3%). 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 Bruno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.2% (20,905 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bruno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.2%), Hispanic (18.0%), Black (7.3%). 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 Bruno (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 Bruno mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Germanic name Bruno, meaning "brown" and likely referring to a person with brown hair or skin. 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 Bruno (9.96 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 many people share the surname Bruno?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.