Show ContentsBrunk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished German surname Brunk is a variant of the surname Brüning, which indicates "son of Brüning," a variant of Bruno. The personal name Bruno is a pet form of names such as Brunolf, Brunwardt and Brunheri, all derived from the Old High German word "brunja," meaning "brown." The name may also have been derived from the Middle High German "brunne," meaning "breastplate." In Low German the surname often adopted a k-suffix, creating Bruneke which led to Bruhnke and Brünicke. Around 1600, the names Brunke and Brunken began to appear more often in Friesland.

Early Origins of the Brunk family

The surname Brunk was first found in East Friesland, where the Low German suffix -k was attached to the Westphalian surname Brüning. By about 1600, the name could be found with increasing frequency in the northern areas of Lower Saxony, Pomerania, and Schleswig-Holstein. The earliest known bearer of the surname was Cord Brunke, who was documented in 1594. The young Brunk family eventually branched into many houses, becoming one of the prominent families of the region.

Early History of the Brunk family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brunk research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1594, 1730, 1803, 1811 and 1891 are included under the topic Early Brunk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brunk Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Brunke, Brunger, Bruhnke, Brunken, Brünicke, Brüntjen, Brünjes, Bruneke, Bruenicke and many more.

Early Notables of the Brunk family

Notables of the time included

  • Richard Franz Philipp Brunk (1730-1803), a classical philologist

Brunk Ranking

In the United States, the name Brunk is the 13,099th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Brunk migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brunk Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johan Michel Brunk, who arrived in New York in 1709 [2]
Brunk Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Franz L Brunk, who landed in New York in 1834 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Brunk (post 1700) +

  • Steven Brunk, American Republican politician, Member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 85th district (2003-) [3]
  • Larry Brunk (1883-1956), American politician, State Treasurer of Missouri from 1929 to 1933
  • Louis Frederick Brunk (b. 1889), American professor
  • Steve Brunk, American Republican politician, Candidate for Kansas State Senate 31st District, 2000 [4]
  • Larry Brunk (1883-1956), American Republican politician, Mayor of Aurora, Missouri; Member of Missouri State Senate 18th District, 1923-28; Missouri State Treasurer, 1929-33 [4]
  • John W. Brunk, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Victoria, 1926-27 [4]
  • James Brunk, American Republican politician, Member of Wyoming State Senate from Hot Springs County, 1965 [4]
  • Hugh W. Brunk, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 6th District, 1922 [4]
  • Mrs. Gregory Brunk, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1936 [4]
  • Clara M. Brunk, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan Republican State Central Committee, 1927 [4]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2010, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook