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Brenton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Brenton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Brenton surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in Brenton, near Exminster in Devon. The name is likely a habitation name from the Old English Brymingtun, meaning "settlement associated with Bryni." 1

Early Origins of the Brenton family

The surname Brenton was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Brenton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brenton research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1610, 1633 and 1674 are included under the topic Early Brenton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brenton Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Brenton include Brenton, Breynton, Brentyne and others.

Early Notables of the Brenton family

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

Brenton Ranking

In the United States, the name Brenton is the 14,391^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Brenton is ranked the 519^th most popular surname with an estimated 89 people with that name. 3

Brenton migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Brenton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Brenton, from London who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, settled in Newport, Rhode Island
John Brenton, who arrived in Maryland in 1670 4

Brenton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Brenton, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
Luciano Maria Brenton, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1878 4
Mr. Frank Brenton, (b. 1863), aged 28, Cornish labourer departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "City of Chicago" arriving in Montana, USA on 4 May 1891 5
Mr. Daniel Brenton, (b. 1877), aged 22, Cornish labourer, from Camborne, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 8th June 1899 en route to Red Jacket, Michigan, USA 6

Brenton Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. William Brenton, (b. 1868), aged 32, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th March 1900 en route to Wakefield, Michigan, USA 6
Mr. Daniel Brenton, (b. 1878), aged 23, Cornish miner, from St. Austell, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 23rd May 1901 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA 6
Mr. Martin Brenton, (b. 1869), aged 35, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 22nd May 1904 en route to Rossland, British Columbia, USA 6
Mr. Martin H. Brenton, (b. 1883), aged 22, Cornish miner, from St. Austell, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Caronia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Hancock, Michigan, USA 6
Mr. Harry Brenton, (b. 1876), aged 29, Cornish carpenter, from Par, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Guilford, Maryland, USA 6

Brenton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brenton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Samuel Brenton, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1760

Brenton migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Brenton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Brenton, (b. 1812), aged 29, Cornish labourer departing from Plymouth on 31st August 1841 aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 27th December 1841 7
Mrs. Anne Brenton, (b. 1808), aged 33, Cornish house keeper departing from Plymouth on 31st August 1841 aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 27th December 1841 7
James Brenton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Isabella Watson" in 1846 8
John Brenton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Himalaya" in 1849 9
John Brenton, aged 54, a bookbinder, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Himalaya" 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brenton migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Brenton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Ellen Brenton, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Portland" in 1864
Miss Annie Brenton, (b. 1854), aged 21, Cornish settler departing on 4th December 1875 aboard the ship "Rangitiki" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 16th February 1876 10
Miss Emily Brenton, (b. 1854), aged 21, Cornish servant departing on 4th December 1875 aboard the ship "Rangitiki" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 16th February 1876 10
Mr. John Brenton, (b. 1853), aged 22, Cornish farm labourer departing on 4th December 1875 aboard the ship "Rangitiki" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 16th February 1876 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Brenton (post 1700) +

Sir Jahleel Brenton (1770-1844), American eldest son of Rear-admiral Jahleel Brenton, the head of a family which had emigrated to America early in the seventeenth century, born in Rhode Island on 22 Aug. 1770 11
Edward Pelham Brenton (1774-1839), American captain in the Royal Navy, born at Rhode Island on 20 July 1774, younger brother of Vice-admiral Sir Jahleel Brenton
Lynn Davis Brenton (1889-1968), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Samuel Brenton (1810-1857), American politician, US Representative from Indiana
Woodward Harold Brenton (1899-1968), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1944; Treasurer of Republican National Committee, 1954-55 12
Samuel Brenton (1810-1857), American politician, Representative from Indiana 10th District, 1851-53, 1855-57; Defeated, 1852 12
F. L. Brenton, American Republican politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives from Crawford County; Elected 1964 12
Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton (1807-1862), English translator of one of only two English translations of the Septuagint
Howard Brenton (b. 1942), English dramatist
James Brenton (1736-1806), Canadian lawyer, judge and political figure in Nova Scotia

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ISABELLA WATSON 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846IsabellaWatson.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The HIMALAYA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Himalaya.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html