This is an Olde German nickname from the medieval period (12-14th century) and means 'a good man' or 'a pleasant man'. There are various spellings including Bunin, Buning and Bunning, the name(s) being recorded heraldically in both Pomerania (Bunning) and the Netherlands (Buning). The Coat of Arms of Bunning being a blue mascle (the sign of honesty) on a silver field, silver being the sign of sincerity. In all spellings the name is also recorded in America in the New Dictionary of Surnames, whilst the area formerly Pomerania, is part of East Germany. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Johannes Bunning (of Prussia) which was dated C. 1680 Stetin, Pomerania during the reign of Emperor Leopold I The Holy Roman Empire 1668 - 1705. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.