How common is the surname Bruce?

53,419 people in the United States had the surname Bruce in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,780 Americans. It ranked 636th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Bruce?

Lenny Bruce, American comedian and social critic (1925–1966), followed by S. M. Bruce.

Where is the surname Bruce most common?

Wikidata records people named Bruce in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.

How do you pronounce Bruce?

Bruce is /bɹuːs/, one syllable.

Is the surname Bruce getting more or less common?

More common. 52,004 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 53,419 in 2010, up 2.7%.

Is Bruce also a first name?

Yes. Bruce is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Bruce

A surname, carried by 53,419 people in the United States.

Pronounced /bɹuːs/ 1 syllable Soundex B620 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Bruce is more common than 99.6% of them.

Origin

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

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 53,419 people named Bruce in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 5,780 Americans. That is up 2.7% since 2000, when the Census counted 52,004.

#636

rank among US surnames

53,419

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2.7%

change since 2000 (was #583)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#627	Skinner	54,046	5,713
#628	Bradford	54,015	5,716
#629	Richard	53,893	5,729
#630	Galvan	53,822	5,736
#631	Wall	53,794	5,739
#632	Boone	53,792	5,740
#633	Kirby	53,767	5,742

Who is named Bruce

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

77% of people named Bruce identified as white (not Hispanic), 16% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.7% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Bruces

32 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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, born 1997
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, born 1962

Notable Bruces come mostly from the United States (19), Australia (4) and the United Kingdom (3).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Bruce

Bruce has the Soundex code B620, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B620.

Questions

Where does the surname Bruce come from?: From a Norman place name, Brix, of disputed meaning.
How common is the surname Bruce?: 53,419 people in the United States had the surname Bruce in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,780 Americans. It ranked 636th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Bruce?: In the 2010 Census, 77% of people named Bruce identified as white (not Hispanic), and 16% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Bruce?: Lenny Bruce, American comedian and social critic (1925–1966), followed by S. M. Bruce.
Where is the surname Bruce most common?: Wikidata records people named Bruce in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.
How do you pronounce Bruce?: Bruce is /bɹuːs/, one syllable.
Is the surname Bruce getting more or less common?: More common. 52,004 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 53,419 in 2010, up 2.7%.
Is Bruce also a first name?: Yes. Bruce is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.