Bruns

From the historical and enchanting region of France emerged a multitude of notable family names, including that of the distinguished Bruns family. Originally, the people in this region went by one (personal) name. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. These names then began to become "fixed" or hereditary between the generations. One of the types of names adopted as surnames were those derived from nicknames. Nicknames, or "eke-names," were an added name that generally reflected some physical characteristics or other attribute of the person that used the name. The Bruns surname derives from the French word "brun," meaning "brown"; and therefore was a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in the colour brown.