Bruss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The origins of the great Scottish surname Bruss actually lie off of the British Isles, as Bruss (or Brus) was a name carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bruss family originally lived in Normandy. The exact location of the place from which the family name is derived is under dispute, as one may expect of such a prominent name. The traditional interpretation is that the name is derived from the place-name Brix, in La Manche. It is argued, however, that there is no real evidence in support of this, and that the name is actually derived from the place-name Le Brus, in Calvados. 1

Early Origins of the Bruss family

The surname Bruss was first found in Yorkshire where Robert de Bruis was granted ninety-four manors. His son Robert de Bruys traveled north with Earl David of Huntingdon who later became King of Scotland and was granted large estates in Annandale, Scotland about 1150. Robert de Bruys had two sons: Robert and William. Robert, who became known as Robert the Bruce, would later claim the crown of Scotland and unite Scotland against the English. He defeated the English army soundly in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. "Robert, 'the Bruce of Bannockburn,' was arguably the most illustrious monarch that ever swayed the Scottish sceptre." 2 As a result of this battle Scotland gained its independence from England as declared in the Treaty of Northampton (1328).

King Robert the Bruce died the next year at Cardross. Although he had instructed to one of his most trusted followers to bury his heart in the Holy Land, they were stopped in Spain and therefore returned to Scotland. His heart is buried at Melrose in Dunfermeline. The Earls of Elgin are descended from the Bruces of Clackmannan.

Early History of the Bruss family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bruss research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1274, 1318, 1329, 1548, 1550, 1599, 1611, 1625, 1629, 1663, 1669, 1679, 1681, 1686, 1688, 1700, 1735 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bruss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bruss Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Brywiss, Broyse, Bruce, Bruice, Bruise, Brus, Broys, Brywass, Brues, Brywess, Bruwes, Bruys, Bruze, Brwze, Brywes, Bruse, Braose, Bruis, Browse and many more.

Early Notables of the Bruss family

Notable among the family at this time was Robert Bruce (1274-1329), King of Scotland. His body is buried in Dunfermline Abbey, while his heart is buried in Melrose Abbey. His embalmed heart was to be taken on crusade by his lieutenant and friend Sir James Douglas to the Holy Land but Douglas only made it as far as Granada, Spain. Other notables include: Edward Bruce, 1st Lord Kinloss PC (1548-1611), a Scottish lawyer and judge; Sir George Bruce of...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bruss Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bruss Ranking

In the United States, the name Bruss is the 12,258^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Bruss family to Ireland

Some of the Bruss family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bruss migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bruss Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Martin Gottlieb Bruss, aged 36, who arrived in America in 1843 4
John D Bruss, aged 48, who landed in Missouri in 1847 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Bruss (post 1700) +

Robert Jacques "Bob" Bruss (1940-2007), American real estate attorney and syndicated columnist
Franz Thomas Bruss (b. 1949), Belgian-German professor of mathematics

The Bruss Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fuimus
Motto Translation: We have been

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)