Bruins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Bruins

What does the name Bruins mean?

The earliest origins of the name Bruins date back to the time of the Anglo-Saxons. The name is derived from the baptismal name Brun. "The name suggests connexion with Dutch bruin â€˜bearâ€™, but it may simply show attempts to indicate the pronunciation of French brun â€˜brownâ€™." 1 Two other sources agree with this assumptive origin. 2 3 Another source presumes the name was originally Bregwin, pronounced Brewin.

Early Origins of the Bruins family

The surname Bruins was first found in Norfolk, where William Bruin was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1209. Later, Patrick le Bruin was found in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1269 and William Bruyn was recorded in Wiltshire in 1330. Maurice Bruyn was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1425. 1

A branch of the family hailed from Bruen Stapleford in Cheshire where there "had been a succession from the middle of the thirteenth century." 4

Early History of the Bruins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bruins research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1538, 1560, 1570, 1577, 1616, 1625, 1656, 1682, 1695 and 1833 are included under the topic Early Bruins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bruins Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Bruins include Brewin, Brewne, Brewn, Bruin, Brunhus and others.

Early Notables of the Bruins family

Notables of the family at this time include Abraham de Bruyn (born 1538), a Flemish engraver, established himself at Cologne about the year 1577, ranked among the Little Masters; Nicolaes de Bruyn (1570-1656), the son of Abraham De Bruyn.Daniel Brevint or Brevin (1616-1695), born in Saint John, Jersey, Channel Islands, became Dean of...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bruins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bruins Ranking

In Netherlands, the name Bruins is the 327^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,661 people with that name. 5

Bruins migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Bruins or a variant listed above:

Bruins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henrick Bruins, aged 14, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 6
Henry Bruins, aged 13, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 6
Hourok Bruins, aged 30, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 6
John Bruins, aged 13, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 6
Mary Bruins, aged 10, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bruins migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bruins Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Bruin Bruins, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757

Contemporary Notables of the name Bruins (post 1700) +

John H. Bruins, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Singapore, 1926-29; U.S. Consul in Hamburg, 1932; Prague, 1938 7
James W. Bruins, American politician, American Independent Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 95th District, 1970 7
Henderika "Rika" Bruins (1934-2025), Dutch swimmer who competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Theo Bruins (1929-1993), Dutch pianist and composer
Tonny Bruins Slot (1947-2020), Dutch association football coach who was very well known for his analyses of matches and opponents

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html