Show ContentsBrill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The German surname Brill is derived from "Brill," the name of a town located in East Friesland. It was a common practice of the time to refer to a new resident of a city by the name of his hometown; thus, it is likely that the progenitor of the name Brill was a native of the town of Brill who had settled in another region.

Early Origins of the Brill family

The surname Brill was first found in East Friesland, where it emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century 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 earliest known bearer of the name was Joh. Priel, who was recorded as living in Ehingen in 1514.

Early History of the Brill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brill research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1721, 1759, 1778, 1842, 1846, 1853, 1855 and 1935 are included under the topic Early Brill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brill Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Brill, Brille, Brile, Bril, Bryll, Brylle, Bryle, Prill, Prille and many more.

Early Notables of the Brill family

Notables of the time included

  • Benedikt Prill (1721-1759), an Augustine priest, Asriel Brill (1778-1853), a rabbi and author, Alexander von Brill (1842-1935), a mathematician born Darmstadt famous for his work on theory of algebrai...

Brill Ranking

In the United States, the name Brill is the 4,427th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [1]


United States Brill migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brill Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johannes Brill, who arrived in New York in 1709 [2]
  • Johannes Brill and his wife Anna Margaretha, who emigrated from the Palatinate to New York in 1710 with their children Theobald and Anna Eva
  • Heinrich Brill, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 [2]
  • Herman Brill, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 [2]
  • Philip Brill, who arrived in New York, NY in 1782 [2]
Brill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Christian Brill, a Hessian mercenary who settled in America after fighting in the Revolutionary War
  • John E Brill, who arrived in Mississippi in 1824 [2]
  • Henry Brill, who landed in New York in 1837 [2]
  • Jacob Brill, who was naturalized in North Carolina in 1845
  • William H Brill, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1864 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Brill migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brill Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. David Brill U.E. who settled in Queens County, New Brunswick c. 1783 he died in 1848 [3]

Australia Brill migration to Australia +

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

Brill Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Ada Brill, (b. 1870), aged 14, Cornish domestic servant travelling aboard the ship "SS Cambodia" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 4th April 1884 [4]

New Zealand Brill 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:

Brill Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Moses Brill, aged 26, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ocean Mail" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Brill (post 1700) +

  • Steven Brill (b. 1950), American founder of CourtTV and American Lawyer magazine
  • Charlie Brill (b. 1938), American actor
  • Frances Joan "Fran" Brill (b. 1946), American actress and puppeteer, best known for her roles on Sesame Street
  • Sam Brill (b. 1985), American soccer player
  • Paul Brill, American three-time Emmy Award nominated composer, songwriter and producer
  • Johann "John" George Brill (1817-1888), German-born, American co-founder of J. G. Brill and Company, manufacturer of streetcars and buses who built over 45,000 streetcars
  • Ralph L Brill (b. 1935), American Professor of Law at Chicago-Kent College of Law
  • Abraham Brill (1874-1948), American (Austrian born) psychiatrist, best known as the translator of Sigmund Freud's works into English
  • Fred J. Brill, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Oneida County 2nd District, 1901-03 [5]
  • Franklin P. Brill, American politician, Workers Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York, 1924, 1928; Candidate for New York State Comptroller, 1930 [5]
  • ... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  4. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 19). Emigrants to Australia NSW 1860 -88 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/nsw_passenger_lists_1860_88.pdf
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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