Explore the Family Name Brunson

The meaning of Brunson

English: usually from the Middle English personal name Brun (Old English Brūna or Old Norse Brúni) + -son ‘Brown’s son’. See Brown. There may also be occasional survivals of an Old English compound personal name Brūnsunu ‘brown son’, attested in the Domesday Book, and presumably given to a child with brown hair or complexion. Whether it was also used as an adult nickname is uncertain. This form of the surname is most common in Norfolk.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Brunson in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Brunson has seen a slight dip in ranking from 2059 in 2000 to 2115 in 2010, marking a change of -2.72%. However, the count of individuals with this surname increased by 6.09% during the same period, from 16,118 to 17,099. The proportion per 100,000 people also experienced a minor decrease, going from 5.97 in 2000 to 5.8 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#2,059#2,115-2.72%
Count16,11817,0996.09%
Proportion per 100k5.975.8-2.85%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Brunson

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Brunson, data derived from the Decennial U.S. Census shows several shifts between 2000 and 2010. The White population with this surname decreased slightly by -4.65%, while the Black population saw a marginal increase of 2.56%. The Hispanic population revealed a significant rise of 45.71%. There was also an observable growth in the Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native populations with the Brunson surname, increasing by 34.48% and 34.38% respectively. Lastly, those identifying as two or more races also saw a substantial increase of 27.33%.

20002010Change
White52.49%50.05%-4.65%
Black43.79%44.91%2.56%
Two or More Races1.72%2.19%27.33%
Hispanic1.4%2.04%45.71%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.32%0.43%34.38%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.29%0.39%34.48%

Brunson ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Brunson is British & Irish, which comprises 52.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (17.5%) and Nigerian (7.4%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Scandinavian, Angolan & Congolese, Eastern European, and Spanish & Portuguese.

Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe

ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish52.9%
French & German17.5%
Nigerian7.4%
Other22.2%
Brunson

Possible origins of the surname Brunson

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Brunson have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom78.90%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom78.90%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom78.60%
Merseyside, United Kingdom78.60%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom78.20%

What Brunson haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Brunson is R-L165, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L165 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L51 and E-P252, which are predominantly found among people with European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Beall, Bronson, Macleod, Mcleod, Buie, Broussard, Easterling, Frith, Terrill, Hubbell.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Brunson surname are: H1, H, L2a1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry.

brunsonPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Brunson have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Brunson

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Brunson" Surname 37.3%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Brunson

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Brunson" Surname 27.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Brunson

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Brunson" Surname 27.1%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Brunson

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Brunson" Surname 18.3%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Brunson?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Brunson are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%