Bruno Genealogy and Bruno Family History Information

Bruno male proper name, from O.H.G., lit. "brown."

Carthusian late 14c., from L. Cartusianus, in reference to an austere order of monks founded 1086 by St. Bruno at Chartreux, village in Dauphiné, France.

brown O.E. brun "dark, dusky," only developing a definite color sense 13c., from P.Gmc. *brunaz (cf. O.N. brunn, Dan. brun, O.Fris., O.H.G. brun, Du. bruin, Ger. braun), from PIE *bher- (3) "shining, brown" (cf. Lith. beras "brown"), related to *bheros "dark animal" (cf. beaver, bear (n.), and Gk. phrynos "toad," lit. "the brown animal"). The O.E. word also had a sense of "brightness, shining," now preserved only in burnish. The Gmc. word was adopted into Romanic (cf. M.L. brunus, It., Sp. bruno, Fr. brun). Brown-bag (v.) "to bring lunch or liquor in a brown paper bag" is from 1960s. Brown Bess, slang name for old British Army flintlock musket, first recorded 1785.

Bruno: Brown is one of the more common surnames - it is the most common of the surnames derived from nicknames. Bruno is the form the name takes in Italy and occasionally in Germany.