NameCensus.

UK surname

Brunning

A surname derived from a place name referring to someone who lived near a spring or brook.

In the 1881 census there were 608 people recorded with the Brunning surname, ranking it #5,765 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 859, ranked #6,526, down from #5,765 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Sudbury All Saints, Sudbury St Gregory, Sudbury St Peter, Sudbury St Bartholomew and Eriswell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Hams, Ipswich and Newark and Sherwood.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brunning is 957 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.3%.

1881 census count

608

Ranked #5,765

Modern count

859

2016, ranked #6,526

Peak year

2000

957 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brunning had 608 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,765 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 859 in 2016, ranked #6,526.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 946 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Brunning surname distribution map

The map shows where the Brunning surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Brunning surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brunning over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 372 #6,397
1861 historical 312 #8,127
1881 historical 608 #5,765
1891 historical 637 #6,081
1901 historical 817 #5,523
1911 historical 946 #4,756
1997 modern 899 #5,969
1998 modern 919 #6,053
1999 modern 945 #5,977
2000 modern 957 #5,897
2001 modern 931 #5,911
2002 modern 926 #6,063
2003 modern 893 #6,124
2004 modern 895 #6,117
2005 modern 865 #6,220
2006 modern 873 #6,183
2007 modern 879 #6,204
2008 modern 877 #6,258
2009 modern 896 #6,293
2010 modern 915 #6,312
2011 modern 891 #6,364
2012 modern 874 #6,391
2013 modern 909 #6,302
2014 modern 889 #6,438
2015 modern 886 #6,392
2016 modern 859 #6,526

Geography

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Where Brunnings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Sudbury All Saints, Sudbury St Gregory, Sudbury St Peter, Sudbury St Bartholomew, Eriswell and Ipswich St Mary Stoke. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Hams, Ipswich, Newark and Sherwood and Portsmouth. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Sudbury All Saints, Sudbury St Gregory, Sudbury St Peter, Sudbury St Bartholomew Suffolk
4 Eriswell Suffolk
5 Ipswich St Mary Stoke Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Hams 009 South Hams
2 Ipswich 016 Ipswich
3 Newark and Sherwood 009 Newark and Sherwood
4 Ipswich 014 Ipswich
5 Portsmouth 024 Portsmouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brunning

These lists show first names that appear often with the Brunning surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brunning

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Brunning, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Brunning surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Brunning household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Brunning is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Brunning is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Brunning falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Brunning is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Brunning, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Brunning

The surname Brunning is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English words 'burna' meaning a stream and 'inga' denoting a dweller or resident. It is believed to have originated in the region of Derbyshire, England, where the name first appeared in records dating back to the 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Brunning surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1190, where a William Brunning is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners and householders in England, indicating the presence of the Brunning family in various parts of the country during that time.

In the 14th century, the Brunning surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, where several families bearing this name held land and property. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Brunning surname, but it does mention the village of Brunnington in Derbyshire, which may have contributed to the development of the name.

Notable individuals with the surname Brunning include John Brunning (1520-1589), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Provost of Eton College, and William Brunning (1792-1861), a British architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in London.

Other historical figures bearing the Brunning surname include:

1. Thomas Brunning (1630-1689), an English Catholic priest and writer. 2. Henry Brunning (1768-1838), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. 3. George Brunning (1841-1917), a British politician and member of parliament for the constituency of Chesterfield. 4. Frederick Brunning (1862-1939), a British engineer and inventor, known for his contributions to the development of early aircraft designs. 5. Arthur Brunning (1890-1964), a British artist and illustrator, best known for his paintings depicting scenes from World War I.

The Brunning surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Brunning Park in Derbyshire and Brunning Thorpe in Norfolk, both of which may have derived their names from the Old English words that gave rise to the surname itself.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Brunning families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brunning surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Suffolk leads with 227 Brunnings recorded in 1881 and an index of 31.53x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 227 31.53x
Norfolk 95 10.45x
Middlesex 76 1.29x
Essex 61 5.23x
Surrey 53 1.84x
Kent 17 0.84x
Cambridgeshire 14 3.74x
Durham 12 0.68x
Hampshire 12 0.99x
Yorkshire 11 0.19x
Berkshire 6 1.35x
Staffordshire 5 0.25x
Huntingdonshire 3 2.56x
Wiltshire 3 0.57x
Brecknockshire 1 0.85x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.28x
Dorset 1 0.26x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.77x
Gloucestershire 1 0.09x
Hertfordshire 1 0.25x
Monmouthshire 1 0.23x
Northamptonshire 1 0.18x
Stirlingshire 1 0.46x
Sussex 1 0.10x
Worcestershire 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Yarmouth in Norfolk leads with 46 Brunnings recorded in 1881 and an index of 61.10x.

Place Total Index
Great Yarmouth 46 61.10x
Eriswell 17 1910.11x
Ipswich St Margaret 15 61.40x
Barking 14 41.01x
Drayton 14 1686.75x
Framlingham 14 273.97x
Braintree 13 124.05x
Richmond 13 32.21x
Witnesham 13 1250.00x
Ipswich St Mathew 12 59.46x
Eye 11 236.56x
Earls Colne 10 310.56x
Honington 10 1666.67x
Icklingham 10 1162.79x
Lee 10 34.15x
Putney 10 37.12x
Bermondsey 8 4.55x
Camberwell 8 2.12x
Islington London 8 1.40x
Barrington 7 555.56x
Bedfield 7 921.05x
Bury St Edmunds St James 7 36.40x
Hackney London 7 2.11x
Hoo 7 2121.21x
Ipswich St Clement 7 38.25x
Lowestoft 7 20.58x
St Faith Winchester 7 123.89x
St Luke London 7 7.38x
Stonham Aspall 7 476.19x
Tottenham 7 7.43x
Urpeth 7 204.08x
Clopton 6 779.22x
Colchester St Botolph 6 60.42x
Colchester St Peter 6 128.48x
Lambeth 6 1.16x
Burton Upon Trent 5 10.71x
Clerkenwell London 5 3.58x
Dullingham 5 297.62x
Lakenham 5 38.73x
Mile End Old Town London 5 3.97x
Portsea 5 2.11x
St George Hanover Square 5 4.80x
St Marylebone London 5 1.58x
West Swallowfield 5 238.10x
Winston 5 833.33x
Attleborough 4 87.15x
Battersea 4 1.84x
Bethnal Green London 4 1.56x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 4 29.61x
Culford 4 655.74x
Great Waldingfield 4 336.13x
Herringswell 4 1025.64x
Sapiston 4 754.72x
Southcoates 4 12.30x
St Bartholomew Great 4 74.35x
Fakenham Magna 3 789.47x
Framsden 3 187.50x
Helmingham 3 434.78x
Ipswich St Mary Key 3 160.43x
Norland 3 74.63x
Norwich St Andrew 3 193.55x
Ramsey 3 31.91x
Ramsey 3 196.08x
Ratcliffe London 3 9.19x
St Clement Danes London 3 24.53x
Sudbury All Sts 3 136.99x
Wells Next Sea 3 56.60x
Wenhaston 3 168.54x
West Ella 3 1304.35x
Whitechapel London 3 5.15x
Winterslow 3 171.43x
Ipswich St Lawrence 2 204.08x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 2 7.33x
Long Melford 2 29.90x
Pakenham 2 103.09x
Rochester St Margaret 2 9.40x
South Lynn 2 19.49x
Usworth 2 21.41x
Wangford 2 148.15x
Wilby 2 210.53x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Brunning surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Brunning surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 36
George 33
Charles 22
John 22
James 18
Henry 15
Arthur 14
Robert 10
Joseph 9
Thomas 9
Edward 8
Walter 8
Harry 7
Frederick 6
David 5
Samuel 5
Albert 4
Alfred 4
Abraham 2
Edwd. 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Geo. 2
J. 2
Philip 2
Caleb 1
Chas.Hy. 1
Daniel 1
Earnest 1
Fredrick 1
H. 1
Henrey 1
Horace 1
Isaac 1
Jacob 1
Jeremiah 1
Jonathan 1
Josiah 1
Lewis 1
Lionel 1
Michael 1
Millison 1
Phillip 1
Richard 1
Richd.Hy. 1
Richd.T. 1
Robart 1
Robt.J. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Brunning surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brunning surname in 1881?

In 1881, 608 people were recorded with the Brunning surname. That placed it at #5,765 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brunning surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 859 in 2016. That gives Brunning a modern rank of #6,526.

What does the Brunning surname mean?

A surname derived from a place name referring to someone who lived near a spring or brook.

What does the Brunning map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Brunning bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.