The

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

name Bruce arrived in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

with the Normans, from the place name

Brix, Manche Brix () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in northwestern France. History The origin of the name Brix derives from the Gaulish suffix brut-. Brix is known primarily as being the assumed origin of the Bruce family, who emigrat ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

(1274−1329), it has been a Scottish surname since medieval times; it is now a common given name. The variant ''Lebrix'' and ''Le Brix'' are French variations of the surname.

Actors

Bruce Bennett Bruce Bennett (born Harold Herman Brix, also credited Herman Brix; May 19, 1906February 24, 2007) was an American film and television actor who prior to his screen career was a highly successful college athlete in football and in both intercol ...

(1906–2007), American actor and athlete *

Bruce Boxleitner Bruce William Boxleitner (born May 12, 1950) is an American actor and science fiction and suspense writer. He is known for his leading roles in the television series '' How the West Was Won'', '' Bring 'Em Back Alive'', ''Scarecrow and Mrs. King ...

(born 1950), American actor * Bruce Campbell (born 1958), American actor, director, writer, producer and author *

Bruce Davison Bruce Allen Davison (born June 28, 1946) is an American actor and director. Davison is well known for his starring role as Willard Stiles in the cult horror film '' Willard'' (1971) and his Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning perfor ...

(born 1946), American actor and director * Bruce Dern (born 1936), American actor *

Bruce Gray Bruce Gray (September 7, 1936 – December 13, 2017) was a Canadian actor, known for multiple roles in films and television shows for over 5 decades. Early Years Gray was born in Puerto Rico and lived in Toronto after 1949. He graduated from ...

(1936–2017), American-Canadian actor *

Bruce Greenwood Stuart Bruce Greenwood (born August 12, 1956) is a Canadian actor and producer. He is known for his role as the American president John F. Kennedy in '' Thirteen Days,'' for which he won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion ...

(born 1956), Canadian actor and musician * Bruce Herbelin-Earle (born 1998), English-French actor and model * Bruce Jones (born 1953), English actor * Bruce Kirby (1925–2021), American actor * Bruce Lee (1940–1973), martial artist and movie star *

Bruce Lester Bruce Lester (6 June 1912 – 13 June 2008) was a South African-born English film actor with over 60 screen appearances to his credit between 1934 and his retirement from acting in 1958. Lester's career divided into two distinct periods. Betwe ...

(1912–2008), English actor *

Bruce McCulloch Bruce Ian McCulloch is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, musician and film director. McCulloch is perhaps best known for his work as a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, including starring in the TV series of the same name. He ...

(born 1961), Canadian actor and comedian *

Bruce McGill Bruce Travis McGill (born July 11, 1950) is an American actor. He worked with director Michael Mann in the movies '' The Insider'' (1999), ''Ali'' (2001), and '' Collateral'' (2004). McGill's other notable film roles include Daniel Simpson "D-Da ...

(born 1950), American actor *

Bruce Payne Bruce Martyn Payne (born 22 November 1958) is an English actor, producer, screenwriter, film director and theatre director. Payne is best known for portraying villains, such as Charles Rane in '' Passenger 57'', Jacob Kell in '' Highlander: En ...

, English actor *

Bruce Spence Bruce Spence (born 17 September 1945) is a New Zealand–Australian actor. Spence has amassed over 100 film and television credits and has also acted in theatre. Biography Spence won an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1971 comedy ...

(born 1945), New Zealander-Australian actor *

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

(born 1955), American actor

Musicians

Bruce Abel Bruce Abel (25 July 1936 – 10 March 2021) was an American bass singer. Biography Abel studied singing at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City under Hans Heinz, where he excelled in studies of French art songs and German lieder. H ...

(1936–2021), American singer *

Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, p ...

(born 1945), Canadian guitarist, singer-songwriter, and author * Bruce Dickinson (born 1958), English singer, songwriter, writer, and brewer *

Bruce Guthro Bruce Guthro (born August 31, 1961) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Guthro has recorded as a solo artist, and was lead vocalist for the Scottish celtic rock band Runrig from 1998, until the group retired ...

(born 1961), Canadian singer-songwriter *

Bruce Hornsby Bruce Randall Hornsby (born November 23, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. His music draws from folk rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Southern rock, country rock, jam band, rock, heartland rock, and blues rock musical traditions ...

(born 1954), American singer-songwriter and pianist *

Bruce Johnston Bruce Arthur Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who is a member of the Beach Boys. Johnston also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher (his bandmate in Bru ...

(born 1942), American musician, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer * Bruce Kulick (born 1953), American musician *

Bruce Levingston Bruce Levingston is an American concert pianist. Levingston was born and grew up in the Mississippi Delta. He was educated at Darlington School in Rome, Georgia, graduating in 1979. Levingston has performed many times at Carnegie Hall and Lin ...

, American concert pianist *

Bruce Molsky Bruce C. Molsky (born 1955, New York City) is an American fiddler, banjo player, guitarist, and singer. He primarily performs old-time music of the Appalachian region. Early years As a young man, Molsky first became interested in blues music, but ...

, (born 1955), American multi-instrumentalist and singer * Bruce Springsteen (born 1949), American singer-songwriter, and musician *

Bruce Welch Bruce Welch (born 2 November 1941 as Bruce Cripps) is an English guitarist, songwriter, producer, singer and businessman best known as a founding member of the Shadows. Biography Welch's parents (Stan Cripps and Grace Welch) moved him to 15 B ...

(born 1941), English guitarist, songwriter, and producer

Sports

Bruce Arena Bruce Arena (born September 21, 1951) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach and sporting director of the New England Revolution. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the NJCAA Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Arena has had ...

(born 1951), American national soccer coach *

Bruce Arians Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football executive and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the he ...

(born 1952), American football head coach *

(1943–2021), American football player * Bruce Bochte (born 1950), American baseball player * Bruce Bochy (born 1955), American retired baseball team manager and player *

Bruce Bolden Bruce Bolden (born November 30, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 years in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia. He won an NBL championship with the South East Melbourne Magic in 1992, when he ...

(born 1963), American basketball player *

Bruce Bowen Bruce Eric Bowen Jr. (born June 14, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. Bowen played small forward and graduated from Edison High School and Cal State Fullerton. He went on to play for the National Basketball Association' ...

(born 1971) American basketball player * Bruce Boudreau (born 1955), Canadian hockey player and coach *

Bruce Carter (American football) Bruce Edward Carter (born February 19, 1988) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of North Carolina. Early years C ...

(born 1988), American football player *

Bruce Chen Bruce Kastulo Chen (born June 19, 1977), is a Panamanian former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astr ...

(born 1977), Panamanian professional baseball pitcher *

Bruce Claridge Bruce Claridge (died April 17, 1999) was a Canadian football end who played six seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Eskimos. He played college football at the Universit ...

(died 1999), Canadian football player *

Bruce Dalrymple Henry Van "Bruce" Dalrymple (born April 21, 1964) is an American former basketball player best known for his college career at Georgia Tech. He was a second round pick in the 1987 NBA draft. Dalrymple was born in Manhattan, but attended prep scho ...

(born 1964), American basketball player * Bruce Dombolo (born 1985), French footballer *

Bruce Fleisher Bruce Lee Fleisher (October 16, 1948 – September 23, 2021) was an American professional golfer. Early years and amateur career Fleisher was born in Union City, Tennessee, and was Jewish. In 1950, the Fleisher family moved to Wilmington, Nort ...

(born 1948), American professional golfer *

Bruce Gamble Bruce George Gamble (May 24, 1938 – December 29, 1982) was a professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1962 and 1972, with some stints in the minor leagues during that time. Junior career Gamble ...

(1938-1982), Canadian professional ice hockey goalie *

Bruce Grobbelaar Bruce David Grobbelaar (born 6 October 1957) is a Zimbabwean former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, most prominently for English team Liverpool between 1981 and 1994, and for the Zimbabwean national team. He is remembered fo ...

(born 1957), Zimbabwean football goalkeeper and manager * Bruce Hector (born 1994), American football player *

Bruce Holmes Bruce Barton Holmes (born October 24, 1965) is a former American football linebacker who played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings. He was drafted by the Chiefs in the twelfth round ...

(born 1965), American football player * Bruce Irons (born 1979), American surfer *

Bruce Irvin Bruce Pernell Irvin Jr. (born November 1, 1987) is an American football outside linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round with the 15th overall pick o ...

(born 1987), American football player *

Bruce Jankowski Bruce David Jankowski (born August 12, 1949) is a former American football wide receiver who played two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He played college football at Ohio State University and attended Fair La ...

(born 1949), American football player * Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn Jenner; born 1949), Olympic gold medalist, auto racer, businessperson, television personality * Bruce Kent (cyclist) (1928–1979), New Zealander cyclist *

Bruce LaSane Bruce Wayne LaSane (born March 24, 1967) is a former American football wide receiver who played eight seasons in the Arena Football League with the Cincinnati Rockers, Miami Hooters, Minnesota Fighting Pike, Milwaukee Mustangs, Orlando Predato ...

(born 1967), American football player *

Bruce Manson Bruce Manson (born March 20, 1956) is an American former professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 17 in 1981. His career high singles ranking was World No. 39, but he did, when ranked 112, defeat world n ...

(born 1956), American tennis player *

Bruce McCray Bruce Edward McCray (born October 27, 1963) is a former American football defensive back who played one season with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. McCray attended Wichita East High School in Wichita, Kansas. He first enrolle ...

(born 1963), American football player *

Bruce McLaren Bruce Leslie McLaren (30 August 1937 – 2 June 1970) was a New Zealand racing car designer, driver, engineer, and inventor. His name lives on in the McLaren team which has been one of the most successful in Formula One championship history, ...

(1937–1970), New Zealander race car driver and designer, Founder of McLaren * Bruce McPhail (1937–2020), New Zealander rugby union player * Bruce Pandolfini (born 1947), American chess author, teacher, and coach *

Bruce Reid Bruce Anthony Reid (born 14 March 1963) is a former Australian international cricketer. A tall left-arm fast-medium bowler, Reid also played domestically for his home state Western Australia. Domestic career Reid played for Western Australi ...

(born 1963) is a former Australian Test cricketer * Bruce Reid Sr. (1929–1955), Footscray VFL footballer *

Bruce Reid Jr. Bruce Reid (born 23 December 1955) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray and Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Reid made his league debut against St Kilda in round 5 of the 1977 season. His father ...

(born 1955), Footscray and Carlton VFL footballer * Bruce K. Reid (1950–1970), South Melbourne VFL footballer *

Bruce Reid (doctor) Bruce Malcolm Reid (4 April 1946 – 27 October 2020) was an Australian doctor and former Australian rules footballer. He was the senior medical officer at the Essendon Football Club and played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VF ...

(1946–2020), Hawthorn VFL footballer and Essendon club doctor *

Bruce Seldon Bruce Samuel Seldon (born January 30, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 1996, and 2004 to 2009. He held the WBA heavyweight title from 1995 to 1996, most notably losing to Mike Tyson via knockout in his se ...

(born 1967), American boxing heavyweight and world champion * Bruce Smith (halfback) (1920–1967), American football player *

Bruce Smith (Australian footballer) Bruce Smith (born 28 June 1944) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one ...

(born 1944), Australian rules footballer * Bruce Smith (cricketer) (born 1946), New Zealand cricketer * Bruce Smith (Canadian football) (1949–2013), Canadian football player * Bruce Smith (luger) (born 1958), Canadian luger * Bruce Smith (rugby union) (born 1959), New Zealand rugby union player *

Bruce Smith Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is an American former football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Virginia Tech, where he was ...

(born 1963), American football player * Bruce Sutter (1953–2022), American baseball pitcher *

Bruce Tasker Bruce Tasker (born 2 September 1987) is a British former bobsledder and track athlete. He qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics in the 4-man discipline. Life and career Tasker was born in 1987 in Lawrenny, Wales. When young, Tasker was a talen ...

(born 1987), bobsledder

Other professions

Bruce Allen (disambiguation) Bruce Allen may refer to: *Bruce Allen (American football) (born 1956), American football executive * Bruce Allen (manager), Canadian manager of musical artists *Bruce Allen (physicist) (born 1959), American physicist; director of the Max Planck Ins ...

, multiple people *

Bruce Angrave Bruce Angrave (6 December 1912 – 8 July 1983) was an English illustrator and poster artist. He designed many posters for the large railway companies, as well as posters and cartoons for Ministry of Information during World War II. Biography An ...

(1914–1983), British poster artist, illustrator and author *

Bruce Bawer Theodore Bruce Bawer (born October 31, 1956) is an American writer who has been a resident of Norway since 1999. He is a literary, film, and cultural critic and a novelist and poet, who has also written about gay rights, Christianity, and Islam. ...

(born 1956), American author and cultural critic *

Bruce Berman Bruce Berman (born April 25, 1952) is an American film industry executive and executive producer. He is the chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures, a position he has held from 1997 to 2021. His credits as an executive producer include ''A ...

(born 1952), American film producer * Bruce G. Blair (1947–2020), American nuclear security expert, research scholar, author, and TV producer * Bruce W. Carr (1924–1998), American flying ace during World War II * Bruce W. Carter (1950–1969), American Marine killed during the Vietnam War, awarded Medal of Honor *

Bruce Conner Bruce Conner (November 18, 1933 – July 7, 2008) was an American artist who worked with assemblage, film, drawing, sculpture, painting, collage, and photography. Biography Bruce Conner was born November 18, 1933 in McPherson, Kansas.His well- ...

(1933–2008), American artist and filmmaker *

Bruce Forsyth Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was a British entertainer and presenter whose career spanned more than 70 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the ITV series '' Sunday Nig ...

(1928–2017), English TV host and entertainer *

Bruce Fuchs Bruce A. Fuchs is an American immunologist and health science administrator. He was the director of the Office of Science Education (OSE) at the National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (wi ...

, American immunologist and health science administrator *

(1956–2019), American sculptor *

Bruce Kent Bruce Kent (22 June 1929 – 8 June 2022) was a British Roman Catholic priest who became a political activist in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and held various leadership positions in the organisation. Early life Born on 22 June 1929 ...

(1929–2022), British political activist and priest * Bruce Lander (born 1946), Judge of the Federal Court of Australia * Bruce George Peter Lee (born 1960), prolific British serial killer, arsonist, and mass murderer * Bruce Lerman, American cardiologist; Chief of the Division of Cardiology and Director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory at Weill Cornell Medicine and the New York Presbyterian Hospital * Bruce Lindahl (1953–1981), American serial killer * Bruce Marks (born 1957), American politician * Thomas Donald Bruce McArthur (born 1951), Canadian serial killer; better known as Bruce McArthur *

Bruce McCall Bruce McCall (born May 10, 1935) is a Canadian author and illustrator, best known for his frequent contributions to ''The New Yorker''. Life and career Born and raised in Simcoe, Ontario, Canada, he was fascinated by comic books and showed an earl ...

(born 1935), Canadian author and illustrator * Bruce Mendenhall (born 1951), American suspected serial killer *

Bruce Morrow Bruce Morrow (born Bruce Meyerowitz on October 13, 1935 or October 13, 1937) (sources differ) is an American radio performer, known for professional purposes as Cousin Brucie or Cousin Bruce Morrow. In an October 2020 interview, Morrow said he ...

("Cousin Brucie"), American radio personality * Bruce Montgomery (disambiguation), multiple people *

Bruce Nauman Bruce Nauman (born December 6, 1941) is an American artist. His practice spans a broad range of media including sculpture, photography, neon, video, drawing, printmaking, and performance. Nauman lives near Galisteo, New Mexico. Life and work ...

(born 1941), American artist * Bruce Nestande (1938–2020), American politician * Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, American mass murderer and perpetrator of the 2009 Covina massacre *

Bruce Parry Bruce Parry (born 17 March 1969) is an English documentarian, indigenous rights advocate, author, explorer, trek leader and former Royal Marines commando officer. He employs an ethnographic style and a form of participant observation for his d ...

(born 1969), English explorer, author, indigenous rights advocate and documentarian *

Bruce Perens Bruce Perens (born around 1958) is an American computer programmer and advocate in the free software movement. He created The Open Source Definition and published the first formal announcement and manifesto of open source. He co-founded the Open ...

, computer programmer, open source founder * Bruce Rauner (born 1957), American businessman and politician * Bruce Reid (politician) (1935–2020), Australian Liberal Party politician *

Bruce Ritchie Bruce Weir Ritchie (born February 1965) is a British property developer and residential landlord, and the owner of the Residential Land Group. Early life Bruce Weir Ritchie was born in February 1965. He was educated at Dulwich College where he ...

(born 1965), British property developer *

Bruce Rockowitz Bruce Philip Rockowitz (born October 24, 1958) is a Canadian businessman, the chairman of Rock Media International and co-founder of the Pure Group. Early life Rockowitz was born on October 24, 1958. He dropped out of the University of Vermont t ...

(born 1958/59), American businessman * Bruce Sterling, American science fiction writer *

Bruce Schneier Bruce Schneier (; born January 15, 1963) is an American cryptographer, computer security professional, privacy specialist, and writer. Schneier is a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and a Fellow at the Berkman Klein Cente ...

(born 1963), cryptographer, computer security professional, privacy specialist and writer * Bruce Thorburn, from the Hooley Dooleys * Bruce Vento (1940–2000), American politician * Bruce Weber (born 1946), American fashion photographer and filmmaker *

Bruce Webster Bruce F. Webster is an American academic and software engineer. He is currently a principal at Bruce F. Webster & Associates and an adjunct professor in computer science at Brigham Young University. Early life and education Webster studied ...

, American software engineer, educator, and author * Bruce West (1939–2021), American artist *

Bruce Westerman Bruce Eugene Westerman (born November 18, 1967) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Arkansas's 4th congressional district. Previously, he served as member and the majority leader of the Arkansas House of Representat ...

(born 1967), American politician * Bruce Prichart Western (born 1964), American sociologist *

Bruce Wilcox Bruce Wilcox (born 19) is an artificial intelligence programmer. Work MTS/LISP and Computer Go A graduate of Michigan, Wilcox wrote the MTS/LISP interpreter (the LISP system used at the University of Michigan and a consortium of other places inc ...

(born 1951), American programmer

Fictional characters

* Bruce, one of the Delightful Children From Down The Lane on '' Codename: Kids Next Door'' * Bruce, a

great white shark The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large Lamniformes, mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major ocean ...

in '' Finding Nemo'' * Bruce, a replica of the shark from the 1975 film ''

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

'' displayed at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the nickname given by the film crew to the prop sharks * The Bruces, from the ''Monty Python'' Bruces sketch * Bruce Banner, the alter ego of the '' Hulk'' * Bruce Ben-Bacharach, the main character's manager in ''

Lady Dynamite ''Lady Dynamite'' is an American comedy series starring Maria Bamford, and is loosely based on her life. It was created by Pam Brady and Mitch Hurwitz, on Netflix. The twelve-episode first season was released in its entirety on May 20, 2016. The ...

'' * "''The'' Bruce Dickinson", from the ''SNL'' More Cowbell sketch * Bruce Hyena, a supporting character in the

Geronimo Stilton ''Geronimo Stilton'' is an Italian children's chapter book series written by Elisabetta Dami under the pen name of the title character. Scholastic Corporation has published the English version of the series in the US since February 2004, and t ...

book franchise * Bruce Irvin, a Muay Thai kickboxer and fictional character from the '' Tekken'' series * Bruce McKenzie, effeminate minor character in '' Family Guy'' * Bruce Nolan, a reporter who is offered a chance to be God for a week in '' Bruce Almighty'' * Bruce Sato, from the cartoon '' M.A.S.K.'' * Bruce Wayne, a billionaire and the secret identity of Batman * Bruce, a penguin-like species on the virtual pet website

Neopets ''Neopets'' is a virtual pet website. Users can own virtual pets ("Neopets") and buy virtual items for them using one of two virtual currencies. One currency, called Neopoints, can be earned within the site, and the other, Neocash, can eithe ...

. It was named after

References