# Bruce (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/bruce/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A Scottish surname, most notably of Robert the Bruce.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 53,419 |
| US rank (2010) | 636 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 5,780 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.7% (52,004 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /bɹuːs/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From a Norman place name, Brix, of disputed meaning.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Bruce in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 77% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 16% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.1% |
| Two or more races | 2.2% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Bruce in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Canada and the Kingdom of Scotland.

## People named Bruce

- Lenny Bruce, American comedian and social critic (1925–1966)
- S. M. Bruce, Australian politician, eighth Prime Minister of Australia (1883-1967)
- Nigel Bruce, British actor (1895-1953)
- David Bruce, Australian-British physician, pathologist and microbiologist (1855–1931)
- Virginia Bruce, actress from the United States (1910-1982)
- Catherine Wolfe Bruce, American philanthropist and patron of astronomy (1816–1900)
- Mia McKenna-Bruce, British actress
- Kate Bruce, American silent film actress (1860–1946)
- Theo Bruce, Australian long jumper (1923-2002)
- Blanche Bruce, American politician (1841-1898)
- David Bruce, American actor (1914–1976)
- Tammy Bruce, American conservative radio host, author, and political commentator

and 20 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Brice, Bracey, Brace, Bryce, Brouse, Bearce, Briscoe, Brickey, Bruck, Bruch, Baruch, Brauch.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.