Bruce Family History

14-Day Free Trial

GET STARTED

Bruce Name Meaning

Scottish and English (of Norman origin): habitational name from a place in Normandy which has not been certainly identified. Traditionally, it is believed to be derived from Brix near Cherbourg, but Le Brus in Calvados and Briouze in Orne have also been proposed as candidates.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Brice, Brune, Bruse, Bruck, Brue, Brace, Cruce, Bryce, Baune, Brule

Ready to discover your family story?

Simply start with yourself and we'll do the searching for you.

NEW

Bruce Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Bruce name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Bruce. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

Explore the full experience here

  • England & Wales

    50%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    21%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Norway

    3%

  • France

    2%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

Order a DNA Kit Today

Bruce Family Origin

Where is the Bruce family from?

Mapbox
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap Improve this map
1840
    1920
    You can see how Bruce families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bruce family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bruce families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 106 Bruce families living in New York. This was about 13% of all the recorded Bruce's in the USA. New York had the highest population of Bruce families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bruce surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Bruce

    Bruce Family Occupations

    What did your Bruce ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, a less common occupation for the Bruce family was Farming. The most common Bruce occupation in the USA was Farmer. 38% of Bruce's were Farmers. Farmer, Laborer and Keeping House were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Bruce.

    View Census data for Bruce | Data not to scale

    • Farmer

      38%

    • Laborer

      7%

    • Keeping House

      6%

    • Farming

      4%

    Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Bruce ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

    Bruce Historical Records

    What Bruce family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 526,000 census records available for the last name Bruce. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bruce census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

    Search 1940's US census records for Bruce

    Passenger List

    There are 65,000 immigration records available for the last name Bruce. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

    View all Bruce immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 80,000 military records available for the last name Bruce. For the veterans among your Bruce ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Bruce military records

    You've only scratched the surface of Bruce family history.

    Discover More

    Bruce Life Expectancy

    What is the average Bruce lifespan?

    Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Bruce life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Bruce in 1941 was 28, and 73 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bruce

    An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bruce ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

    Famous Bruce Family Ancestors

    Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in your family tree

    Famous ancestors img
    Look up another name