Given name & surname · also Germanic
Bruno
“bruno”·“a brown-haired man”
Bruno is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “bruno” (Germanic and German) and “a brown-haired man; ” (German). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original GermanBraun
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “bruno” (Germanic and German) and “a brown-haired man; ” (German). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Germanic and German naming traditions.
How it developed
The name draws on Germanic brun, meaning “brown”.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bruno through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 18,875
- 18,875 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 448 babies
- 2025
- 351
- #740 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +5%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 351 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 740 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 5.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (54). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 18,245 as a first name in 2020; 29,776 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bruno’s family of names
In East Central German usage, Bruno has a diminutive in BRUHN. In Italian usage, Bruno as a surname shares a linguistic root with the English form Brown. In German usage, Bruno has a related form in Braun.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Bruno has relatives in 17 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
19 related names in 17 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 19
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 14
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Brunahas masculine form
- Browndoublet · English
- BruCatalan
- Brunonasequivalent
- Bruninipatronymic from · Italian
- Brunettipatronymic from · Italian
- BrunusLatin
- ブルーノJapanese
Show 6 moreShow fewer
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Bruno
- Bruno FernandesPortuguese association football player (born 1994)
- Bruno AlvesPortuguese footballerborn 1981
- Bruno GanzSwiss actor (1941–2019)
- Bruno SchulzJewish novelist and painter (1892-1942)
- Bruno KreiskyAustrian diplomat and chancellor (1911–1990)
- Bruno BauerGerman philosopher and theologian (1809–1882)
- Bruno LatourFrench sociologist and philosopher (1947–2022)
- Bruno GuimarãesBrazilian footballer (born 1997)
- Bruno Martins IndiDutch association football player (born 1992)
Characters named Bruno: Bruno Madrigal (Encanto).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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