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 t ...

name Bruce arrived in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

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 emigrate ...

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 eventuall ...

(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 French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

variations of the surname.

Actors

* Bruce Bennett (1906–2007), American actor and athlete * Bruce Boxleitner (born 1950), American actor * Bruce Campbell (born 1958), American actor, director, writer, producer and author * Bruce Davison (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 (born 1956), Canadian actor and musician * Bruce Herbelin-Earle (born 1998), English-French actor and model *

Bruce Jones Bruce Jones may refer to: * Bruce Jones (actor) (born 1953), British actor *Bruce Jones (American football) (1904–1974), American football player *Bruce Jones (comics) (born 1944), American comic book writer *Bruce Jones (surfboards) (?–2014), ...

(born 1953), English actor * Bruce Kirby (1925–2021), American actor *

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines th ...

(1940–1973), martial artist and movie star * Bruce Lester (1912–2008), English actor * Bruce McCulloch (born 1961), Canadian actor and comedian * Bruce McGill (born 1950), American actor * Bruce Payne, English actor * Bruce Spence (born 1945), New Zealander-Australian actor * Bruce Willis (born 1955), American actor

Musicians

* Bruce Abel (1936–2021), American singer * Bruce Cockburn (born 1945), Canadian guitarist, singer-songwriter, and author * Bruce Dickinson (born 1958), English singer, songwriter, writer, and brewer * Bruce Guthro (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 trad ...

(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 ...

(born 1942), American musician, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer * Bruce Kulick (born 1953), American musician * Bruce Levingston, American concert pianist * Bruce Molsky, (born 1955), American multi-instrumentalist and singer *

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

(born 1949), American singer-songwriter, and musician * Bruce Welch (born 1941), English guitarist, songwriter, and producer

Sports

* Bruce Arena (born 1951), American national soccer coach * Bruce Arians (born 1952), American football head coach * Bruce Bennett (1943–2021), American football player *

Bruce Bochte Bruce Anton Bochte ( ; born November 12, 1950) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from – and –. He played his entire career in the American League for the California An ...

(born 1950), American baseball player * Bruce Bochy (born 1955), American retired baseball team manager and player * Bruce Bolden (born 1963), American basketball player * Bruce Bowen (born 1971) American basketball player * Bruce Boudreau (born 1955), Canadian hockey player and coach * Bruce Carter (American football) (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 As ...

(born 1977), Panamanian professional baseball pitcher * Bruce Claridge (died 1999), Canadian football player * Bruce Dalrymple (born 1964), American basketball player * Bruce Dombolo (born 1985), French footballer * Bruce Fleisher (born 1948), American professional golfer * Bruce Gamble (1938-1982), Canadian professional ice hockey goalie * Bruce Grobbelaar (born 1957), Zimbabwean football goalkeeper and manager *

Bruce Hector Bruce Hector (born October 7, 1994) is an American football defensive tackle for the Arlington Renegades of the XFL. He played college football at South Florida and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2018. Early l ...

(born 1994), American football player * Bruce Holmes (born 1965), American football player * Bruce Irons (born 1979), American surfer * Bruce Irvin (born 1987), American football player * Bruce Jankowski (born 1949), American football player * Bruce Jenner (now

Caitlyn Jenner Caitlyn Marie Jenner (born William Bruce Jenner; October 28, 1949) is an American media personality and retired Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete. Jenner played college football for the Graceland Yellowjackets before incurring a knee i ...

; born 1949), Olympic gold medalist, auto racer, businessperson, television personality * Bruce Kent (cyclist) (1928–1979), New Zealander cyclist * Bruce LaSane (born 1967), American football player * Bruce Manson (born 1956), American tennis player * Bruce McCray (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 McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...

* Bruce McPhail (1937–2020), New Zealander rugby union player *

Bruce Pandolfini Bruce Pandolfini (born September 17, 1947) is an American chess author, teacher, and coach. A USCF national master, he is generally considered to be America's most experienced chess teacher. In 1983, Pandolfini was the chess consultant to auth ...

(born 1947), American chess author, teacher, and coach * Bruce Reid (born 1963) is a former Australian Test cricketer * Bruce Reid Sr. (1929–1955), Footscray VFL footballer * Bruce Reid Jr. (born 1955), Footscray and Carlton VFL footballer * Bruce K. Reid (1950–1970), South Melbourne VFL footballer * Bruce Reid (doctor) (1946–2020), Hawthorn VFL footballer and Essendon club doctor * Bruce Seldon (born 1967), American boxing heavyweight and world champion * Bruce Smith (halfback) (1920–1967), American football player * Bruce Smith (Australian footballer) (born 1944), Australian rules footballer * Bruce Smith (cricketer) (born 1946), New Zealand cricketer *

Bruce Smith (Canadian football) Bruce Smith (March 28, 1949 – January 3, 2013) was a Canadian football player who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos, Ottawa Rough Riders and Toronto Argonauts. He won the Grey Cup with Hamilton in 1972. He played college footb ...

(1949–2013), Canadian football player * Bruce Smith (luger) (born 1958), Canadian luger *

Bruce Smith (rugby union) Bruce Warwick Smith (born 4 January 1959) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A wing, Smith represented Waikato and Bay of Plenty at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks The New Zeal ...

(born 1959), New Zealand rugby union player * Bruce Smith (born 1963), American football player * Bruce Sutter (1953–2022), American baseball pitcher * Bruce Tasker (born 1987), bobsledder

Other professions

* Bruce Allen (disambiguation), multiple people * Bruce Angrave (1914–1983), British poster artist, illustrator and author * Bruce Bawer (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 Bruce Gentry Blair (November 16, 1947 – July 19, 2020) was an American nuclear security expert, research scholar, national security expert, the author of articles and books on nuclear topics, and a television show producer. Education and backgro ...

(1947–2020), American nuclear security expert, research scholar, author, and TV producer *

Bruce W. Carr Bruce Ward Carr (January 28, 1924 – April 25, 1998) was a highly decorated United States Air Force colonel. During World War II, he was shot down over Germany and, after evading capture for several days, snuck into a Luftwaffe airfield and stol ...

(1924–1998), American flying ace during World War II *

Bruce W. Carter Bruce Wayne Carter (May 7, 1950 – August 7, 1969) was a United States Marine who was killed in action during the Vietnam War. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroism. In August 1969, his unit was ambushed outside of Vande ...

(1950–1969), American Marine killed during the Vietnam War, awarded Medal of Honor * Bruce Conner (1933–2008), American artist and filmmaker * Bruce Forsyth (1928–2017), English TV host and entertainer * Bruce Fuchs, American immunologist and health science administrator *

(1956–2019), American sculptor * Bruce Kent (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 Bruce B. Lerman is a cardiologist. He is the Hilda Altschul Master Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, and is chief of the Division of Cardiology and director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory at Weill Cornell Medicin ...

, 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 (born 1935), Canadian author and illustrator *

Bruce Mendenhall Bruce D. Mendenhall (born April 14, 1951) is a convicted American murderer and serial killer. He was arrested in Tennessee in July 2007 – and found guilty in 2010 – for the June 26, 2007 murder of Sara Hulbert. The body was found by t ...

(born 1951), American suspected serial killer * Bruce Morrow ("Cousin Brucie"), American radio personality *

Bruce Montgomery (disambiguation) Bruce Montgomery may refer to: *Bruce Montgomery (musical director) (1927–2008), composer, artist, conductor, and director from Philadelphia *Bruce Montgomery (composer) Edmund Crispin was the pseudonym of Robert Bruce Montgomery (usually cre ...

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

Covina massacre The Covina massacre was a mass murder carried out on Christmas Eve by a disgruntled ex-husband in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in 2008. Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, who was wearing a Santa costume, entered a property belonging to his ...

* Bruce Parry (born 1969), English explorer, author, indigenous rights advocate and documentarian * Bruce Perens, computer programmer, open source founder * Bruce Rauner (born 1957), American businessman and politician * Bruce Reid (politician) (1935–2020), Australian Liberal Party politician * Bruce Ritchie (born 1965), British property developer * Bruce Rockowitz (born 1958/59), American businessman * Bruce Sterling, American science fiction writer * Bruce Schneier (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, American software engineer, educator, and author * Bruce West (1939–2021), American artist * Bruce Westerman (born 1967), American politician * Bruce Prichart Western (born 1964), American sociologist * Bruce Wilcox (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 ''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich, the screenplay was w ...

'' * Bruce, a replica of the shark from the 1975 film '' Jaws'' 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'' * "''The'' Bruce Dickinson", from the ''SNL'' More Cowbell sketch * Bruce Hyena, a supporting character in the Geronimo Stilton book franchise * Bruce Irvin, a

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterise ...

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 Almighty'' is a 2003 American fantasy comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe and Steve Oedekerk. The film stars Jim Carrey as Bruce Nolan, a down-on-his-luck television reporter who complains to G ...

'' * Bruce Sato, from the cartoon '' M.A.S.K.'' * Bruce Wayne, a billionaire and the secret identity of

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...

* Bruce, a

penguin Penguins ( order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adapt ...

-like species on the virtual pet website Neopets. It was named after Bruce Forsyth.

References