Show ContentsBreazeale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Many variations of the name Breazeale have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as O Breasail, possibly from the word bres, which means strife.

Early Origins of the Breazeale family

The surname Breazeale was first found in County Armagh (Irish: Ard Mhacha) located in the province of Ulster in present day Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times. They were descended from Fiachrach Casan, the progenitor of the Clann Brassil, he was the son of King Colla da Crioch, one of Ireland's greatest kings, who was banished to the Hebrides in 327 A.D. after losing his fight for the High Kingship for all Ireland. Colla da Crioch returned to Ireland in 357.

Early History of the Breazeale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Breazeale research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Breazeale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Breazeale Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Breazeale were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Brassil, Brassell, Brassilagh, Breasal, Brazil, Brazell, Braslan and many more.

Early Notables of the Breazeale family

More information is included under the topic Early Breazeale Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Breazeale Ranking

In the United States, the name Breazeale is the 8,669th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]

Migration of the Breazeale family

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Breazeale or a variant listed above: Daniel Brassell who arrived in New York State in 1756; Patrick Brazell arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1838; Thomas Breslin settled in Virginia in 1765.


Contemporary Notables of the name Breazeale (post 1700) +

  • William James Breazeale, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 2008 [2]
  • Phanor Breazeale (1858-1934), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Louisiana State Constitutional Convention, 1898; U.S. Representative from Louisiana 4th District, 1899-1905 [2]
  • Lee Roy Breazeale, American Republican politician, Chair of Cedar County Republican Party, 1949 [2]
  • Frank K. Breazeale, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Belton, South Carolina, 1880-82 [2]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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