Brunner is a German surname. It originated from the Middle High German word Brunne meaning spring or water well. It can also refer to people from places named Brunn. Notable people with the surname include:
- Alois Brunner (1912–2001), Austrian Nazi SS concentration camp war criminal
- Alex Brunner (born 1973) Italian footballer
- Arnold Brunner (1857–1925), American architect
- Benny Brunner (born 1954), Israeli-Dutch filmmaker
- Carl Brunner von Wattenwyl (1823–1914), Swiss entomologist
- Christiane Brunner (born 1947), Swiss politician and advocate
- Conrad Brunner (died 1410), Swiss Benedictine abbott
- Constantin Brunner, the pen-name of German philosopher Leopold Wertheimer
- Damien Brunner (born 1986), Swiss ice hockey player
- David Brunner (1835–1903), a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
- Dominik Brunner (1959–2009), German manager
- Edouard Brunner (1932–2007), Swiss diplomat
- Elizabeth Irving Brunner (1904–2003), actress and founder of the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign
- Emil Brunner (1889–1966), Swiss theologian
- Fernand Brunner (1920–1991), Swiss philosopher
- Frank Brunner (born 1949), American comic book artist
- Greg Brunner, American-Swiss basketball player
- Heinrich Brunner (1840–1915), German historian
- Helena Brunner, Australian Paralympic swimmer
- Henry Brunner (1838–1916), English chemist
- Hugo Brunner, (born 1935) Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, England
- Jean Brunner or Johann Josef Brunner (1804–1862), Swiss born, French measuring instrument maker and mechanic.
- Jennifer L. Brunner (born 1957), Ohio Secretary of State
- Johann Conrad von Brunner (1653–1727), Swiss anatomist
- John K. H. Brunner (1934–1995), British science-fiction writer
- Julia Gray Brunner (Born 2004), American ballet dancer
- John Tomlinson Brunner (1842–1919), British industrialist and politician
- John Fowler Leece Brunner (1865–1929), British politician, son of the above
- Karl Brunner (1916–1989), monetarist economist
- Karl-Heinz Brunner (born 1953), German politician
- Lucas Brunner (born 1967), Swiss chess grandmaster
- Marisa Brunner (born 1982), Swiss football goalkeeper
- Martin Brunner (born 1963), Swiss football player
- Mary Brunner (born 1943), American former "Manson Family" member
- Michael Brunner (born 1995), Swiss curler
- Michelle Brunner (1953-2011), British bridge player
- Otto Brunner (1898–1982), Austrian historian
- Pat W. Brunner (1903-1971), American politician
- Robert Brunner (born 1958), American industrial designer
- Roland Brunner (born 1970), Austrian ice speed skater
- Thomas Brunner (1821–1874), surveyor and explorer
- Vratislav Hugo Brunner, Czech illustrator
- Walter Brunner (born 1948), Swiss building contractor
- William F. Brunner (1887–1965), New York City politician and U.S. congressional representative
- William Otto Brunner (1878–1958), Swiss astronomer
Fictional characters:
- Hermann Brunner, a character from More Than Life at Stake