Brenden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The name Brenden has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in one of the settlements named Brandon in Durham, Norfolk, Suffolk, or Warwickshire, or in Brundon in Essex.

Early Origins of the Brenden family

The surname Brenden was first found in one of the many villages named Brandon or Brendon in England. The place names are frequent due to the literal origin of "hill where broom grows," from the Old English "brom" + "dun." 1

The oldest place name was Brandon, Lincolnshire which dates back to 1060 while the Suffolk, Warwickshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire locals are all listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 with various spellings used at that time: Brandona, Suffolk; Brandune, Warwickshire; Brandun, Norfolk; and Brandune, Lincolnshire. 2

Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG (c.1484-1545) lived in Westhorpe, Suffolk. "The Hall, a noble mansion, at one time the residence of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, was taken down about the middle of the last century; his royal consort, Mary, died here in 1533." 3

The same Duke of Suffolk also held lands and a family seat at Beckenham in Kent. "In the reign of Henry VIII., Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, entertained that monarch when on his journey to visit Anne of Cleves, with great pomp, at the manor-house." 3

There are many more notables of the name but for now we must pause to mention Richard Brandon (d. 1649) as he was the executioner of Charles I. He was the son of Gregory Brandon, a common hangman of London in the early part of the seventeenth century. 4

Early History of the Brenden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brenden research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1484, 1485, 1514, 1516, 1517, 1519, 1534, 1535, 1537, 1545, 1547, 1551, 1559, 1649 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Brenden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brenden Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Brenden have been found, including Brandon, Branden, Brandan and others.

Early Notables of the Brenden family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir William Brandon (d. 1485), who was Henry Tudor's standard-bearer at the Battle of Bosworth; his son Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle (c.1484-1545), brother-in-law to Henry VIII; Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln (1516-1534); Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk (1517-1559), maiden name Lady Frances Brandon, niece of Henry VIII; Lady Eleanor Brandon (1519-1547), the third child...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brenden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brenden family to Ireland

Some of the Brenden family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brenden migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Brenden, or a variant listed above:

Brenden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Brenden, who arrived in Maryland in 1716

Contemporary Notables of the name Brenden (post 1700) +

John Brenden, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Montana, 2012 5
Brenden Bytheway, American actor, known for his work on Studio C, Freelancers (2019) and Recovery (2021)
Brenden Santi (b. 1993), Australian professional rugby league footballer
Brenden Craig Fourie (b. 1970), former South African cricketer

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html