Bruton
A surname most often taken from the place name Bruton in Somerset, or from a term for someone from Brittany.
The #5,589 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 49,630 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bruton is chiefly a locational surname, taken from the town of Bruton in Somerset. The place-name is generally explained as meaning something like 'brook town' or a settlement by the River Brue, though the exact early form is older than the surname itself. In medieval records the name also appears with French-style wording such as le Bratun, which suggests that in some cases it could also have been used for someone from Brittany, the 'Breton.'
History
The surname is found in medieval English records, especially in southern and central counties. Because it can point either to Bruton in Somerset or to a Breton origin, some early bearers may have shared the same surname for different reasons. Later spellings vary, including Braton and Bratun, before standardizing as Bruton.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname appears in 13th-century records in forms like le Bratun, showing that French-style naming conventions were still in use in medieval England.
From the historical record
“Chamflower family, viz. Huishe- Chamflower, near Taunton, and Wytce-Champtlower, near Bruton (N, and Q., January la, 1889, p. 37)- Mania de diamflDr, CO. Unc., 197.;. A.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances