Show ContentsBrunelle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Italian Brunelle surname has a few possible sources. It is a patronymic name created from the originally Germanic personal name Bruno. It evolved as a nickname from the Italian word "bruno," meaning "brown," referring to the hair color or perhaps complexion. It may also have evolved as a habitational name from a place name, such as Bruno, in Asti province.

Early Origins of the Brunelle family

The surname Brunelle was first found in Florence (Italian: Firenze), originally the capital of Tuscany, then capital of the kingdom of Italy. The Bruno or Bruni family were originally from Arezzo but this part of their early history is not traceable. The Brunelli family are on record in Venice from 1151. During the 11th and 12th centuries the family branched from Florence south to Norman dominated Sicily where Giovanni di Bruno held a castle in Palermo in 1282.

Early History of the Brunelle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brunelle research. Another 229 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1360, 1370, 1444, 1467, 1493, 1548, 1577, 1580, 1600, 1630, 1649, 1666, 1681, 1710 and 1753 are included under the topic Early Brunelle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brunelle Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bruno, Bruni, di Bruno, di Bruni, Bruni, Bruno, Bruna, Brun, Brunèlli, Brunelli, Brunèllo, Brunello, Brunèlla, Brunella, Brunellèschi, Brunelleschi, Brunètti, Brunetti, Brunetto, Brunètto, Brunini, Bruntti, Brunotti, Brunne, Brunone, Brunacci, Brunazzi, Brunaldi, Brunati, Brunato, Brunatti, Brunèngo, Brunengo, Brunèri, Bruneri, Brunèro, Brunaccini, Brunamonti, Brunero, Brunèse, Brunese, Brunod, Brunri and many more.

Early Notables of the Brunelle family

More information is included under the topic Early Brunelle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brunelle World Ranking

In the United States, the name Brunelle is the 5,632nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Brunelle is ranked the 430th most popular surname. 2 And in France, the name Brunelle is the 2,915th popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 3


United States Brunelle migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brunelle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Simon Brunelle, who landed in California in 1876 4
  • Georges Brunelle, aged 20, who landed in America, in 1892
  • Louisa Brunelle, aged 1, who immigrated to the United States, in 1896
Brunelle Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Margarethe Brunelle, aged 19, who landed in America, in 1911
  • Genevive Brunelle, aged 4, who settled in Burlington, Vt, in 1919
  • Alfred Brunelle, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States, in 1921
  • Marie A. Brunelle, aged 33, who settled in Rye, New York, in 1924

Canada Brunelle migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brunelle Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Clare Brunelle, aged 33, who immigrated to Victoria, Canada, in 1919

Contemporary Notables of the name Brunelle (post 1700) +

  • Mark Brunelle, American politician, Representative from Oregon 3rd District, 1994, 1996 5
  • M. E. S. Brunelle, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Alaska Territorial Senate 3rd District, 1935-38 5
  • Charles R. Brunelle, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1928 5
  • Paul Brunelle (1923-1994), Canadian singer-songwriter and country guitarist
  • Liina Brunelle (b. 1978), French-Russian actress 6
  • Hervé-Edgar Brunelle (1891-1950), Canadian politician and lawyer


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  3. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. Liina Brunelle. (Retrieved 2011, June 22) Liina Brunelle. Retrieved from http://liina.free.fr/


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