Bruno (name)

Bruno is a first name and surname of Old Germanic origin. In the Latin languages, it comes from Brunus, a Latinized form of a Germanic name composed of the root brun-, which can mean burnished (polished, with luste) and also moreno, also present in the words braun (in German) and brown (in English).

It is also very frequent in Italy, where it has been documented since the 8th century and whose spread is mainly due to several saints, such as Bruno of Cologne (1030–1101), a monk born in the city of Cologne.

Given the popularity of the given name in Italy, as a result of patronymic tradition, the surname "Bruno" and its numerous variants are also recurrent, such as Bruce, Brunacci, Brunaldi, Brundu, Brunari, Brunella, Brunelleschi, Brunelli, Brunello, Brunengo, Bruneri, Brunese, Brunetti, Brunex, Brunetto, Bruni, Brunini, Brunoldi, Brunone, Brunotti, Brunei, etc.

It commonly occurs in countries that speak Germanic languages, Romance languages, and West Slavic languages as a given name to men and boys. Bruno is most common in Italy. Bruno is the 11th most common surname in Italy.