| ![Show Contents]() Breyman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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 Germany The bountiful region surrounding the Rhine river is the birthplace of the name Breyman. A single name was, at one time, all that people needed. However, increasing ease of travel and the burgeoning populations forced people to adopt a hereditary surname to set themselves apart from others. A common form of surname found in the Rhineland was the local name, a name taken on from a place-name. Originally denoting the proprietorship of a village or estate, the German preposition von, which means from or of, used with local names, was taken as a mark of aristocracy. The surname Breyman was given to someone who lived beside a marshy region. The surname Breyman originally derived from the Old German word Brede which referred to a marsh. Breyman is a topographic surname, a type of local name given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Early Origins of the Breyman familyThe surname Breyman was first found in the Rhineland, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century on, the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation. The name derives from the word "Brede," which describes an area of marshy land; Breymann or Breymeyer are variations of Bredemann or Breymeyer. Early History of the Breyman familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Breyman research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1793 and 1794 are included under the topic Early Breyman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Breyman Spelling VariationsIn the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Breyman include Breymann, Breyman, Breymeyer, Breymeier, Breymaier, Breimann, Breiman, Braymann and many more. Early Notables of the Breyman familyNotables with the name Breyman during this period were - the four sons of a Breymann, a bailiff in the town Salder, all of whom were ennobled in the late 18th century
Migration of the Breyman familyThe great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from the Rhineland who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. Many of those who left the Rhineland to seek their fortunes in the prosperous and free New World settled in the major urban centers of the United States and Canada. In the United States, the settlers from the Rhineland passed through immigration centers like that of Ellis Island, most of them moving on to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, the majority of Rhinelanders settled in Ontario and the prairie provinces. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many important settlers to North America bearing the name Breyman, or one of its variants above: Thomas Breymayer, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1747; Johann Georg Breymayer also came to Philadelphia in 1752; Johann Christian Breymann arrived in Winterhill, Massachusetts in 1778..
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