Brend History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany-Alt
Germany
Israel

The name Brend evolved in ancient Germany, in Bavaria. It is a patronymic name. Patronymics are derived from the given name of the father of the bearer. German patronymic names were generally formed from traditional, German given names, rather than from the names of saints or biblical figures, as was the custom in many other European cultures. Brend comes from the Germanic personal name Brando, a short form of the various compound personal names containing the element brand, which means sword or fire.

The name may also be a short-form of an old Germanic name such as Brandhart ("fire-strong"), Brandoalt ("fire-powerful", or Hildebrand ("sword-fire"). In many cases, the surname Brend also derives from a first name, which is shortened from first names such as Hildebrand, Brandhart or Brandold. Brand was a popular short form of Hildebrand in N Germany. 1

Alternatively, the name could have referred to a former resident of one of the multiple localities named Brand. There are thirty-nine villages and towns with the name of Brand in the southern German province of Bavaria alone. A settlement was named Brand usually if it came to be built in an area which had been cleared by fire.

Early Origins of the Brend family

The surname Brend was first found in Bavaria, where the family came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. Some of the first records of this name or one of its variants is Ulrich Brant who was a cloth-maker in 1276 and Waltherus de Brant, who was a farmer zu Regensdorf in 1280.

A shopkeeper Brand was listed in Stettin in 1351 and his sons Brand and Brand. As a forename, Brand Krekenoghe was found in Hanover in 1407. 1

Early History of the Brend family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brend research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1457, 1517, 1521, 1570, 1626, 1685, 1735, 1778 and 1799 are included under the topic Early Brend History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brend Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Brend include Brand, Brande, Brandde, Brannde, Brandt, Brandte, Brandtes, Brandtte, Brant, Brante, Brend, Brende, Brendde, Brent, Brendt, Braend, Braende, Braendde, Braennde, Braent, Braendt, Brandes, Brandis and many more.

Early Notables of the Brend family

Prominent among members of the name Brend in this period include Sebastian Brant (1457-1521), who was known for his long poems, such as "The Ship of Fools"; Jobst Brandt...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brend Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brend migration to the United States +

Thousands of German settlers came to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. The hardships of the long voyage were balanced by the opportunity to escape poverty and religious persecution. The descendents of these settlers still populate the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also live in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Brend or a variant listed above:

Brend Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Brend, aged 40, who landed in New England in 1656 2
William Brend who arrived in Boston in 1657
William Brend in America in 1664

Contemporary Notables of the name Brend (post 1700) +

Ruth Brend, Canadian-born author and Professor of Linguistics

Citations +

Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)