Brinker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Germany

The ancient German region of the Rhineland was the original home of the ancestors of the Brinker surname. Brinker was a local name, a type of hereditary surname that identified people by the places where they lived. Landowners were the first to use local names, and they often attached the prefix "von", meaning "of" or "from," to the surname. Often, the use of "von" was a mark of aristocratic birth. Local names are by far the most common style of German hereditary surname. Brinker was a name for someone who lived beside a meadow or grassy pasture. Brinker is a topographic surname, which was 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. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Brinker family

The surname Brinker was first found in the Rhineland, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the name became an integral part of that turbulent region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation. The name Brink derives originally from the German word that describes a grassy meadow or pasture.

Early History of the Brinker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brinker research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1814, 1835 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Brinker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brinker 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 Brinker include Brink, Brinker, Brinck, Brincke, Brinkmann, Brinkman, Brinckmann, Brinckman, Brinckemann and many more.

Early Notables of the Brinker family

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

Brinker Ranking

In the United States, the name Brinker is the 8,218^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Brinker migration to the United States +

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many Rhinelanders, made the voyage to North America between the 17th and 20th centuries. It was an escape from religious persecution and poverty and also an opportunity for people to start over and own their own land. Most landed at Ellis Island, off New York before moving on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and California. Some also landed in Canada and settled in Ontario, while others headed west to the prairie provinces. A study of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of people bearing the name of Brinker, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early:

Brinker Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Andreas Brinker, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1735 2
Conrad Brinker, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1735 2
Hans Brinker, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1735 2
Hyndrick Brinker, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1735 2
Jacob Brinker, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1735 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brinker Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johann F Brinker, who landed in Missouri in 1841 2
Joh Brinker, who arrived in America in 1843 2
Joh B Brinker, aged 31, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1843 2
Belt H Brinker, aged 33, who landed in Missouri in 1843 2
Joh Henn Brinker, who arrived in America in 1846 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Brinker (post 1700) +

Chris Brinker (1970-2013), American film producer and director
Robert John "Bob" Brinker (b. 1941), American financial advisor and radio host
Howard Brinker (d. 2004), American NFL assistant coach
William Hutchinson "Bill" Brinker (1883-1965), American Major League Baseball outfielder
Norman E. Brinker (1931-2009), American restaurateur
Henry Brinker (b. 1831), American (Prussian born), US Army General
Nancy Goodman Brinker (b. 1946), American businesswoman, consultant, healthcare advocate and philanthropist, US Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary (2001-2003)
Tobin Brinker, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2008 3
Robert Brinker, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1956 3
Josiah Henry Brinker (1851-1920), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1892; U.S. Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, 1913 3
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html