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| Origins Available: |
| | Germany |
The distinguished German surname Bruenicke 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.
The surname Bruenicke 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 Bruenicke family eventually branched into many houses, becoming one of the prominent families of the region.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bruenicke research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1594, 1730, 1803, 1811 and 1891 are included under the topic Early Bruenicke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Brunke, Brunger, Bruhnke, Brunken, Brünicke, Brüntjen, Brünjes, Bruneke, Bruenicke and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Bruenicke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Johan Michel Brunk, who emigrated from Holland to New York in 1709; John Crey Brunk, who settled in Philadelphia in 1802; Cater Brunk, who arrived in Baltimore in 1833.