Brockmeyer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The Brockmeyer family name first began to be used in the German state of Bavaria. After the 12th century, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules, and names that were derived from locations became particularly common. The family name Brockmeyer is a local surname. Originally denoting the proprietorship of an estate or influence within a village, the German preposition von, which means from or of, used with local names, was taken as a mark of aristocracy. The surname Brockmeyer was given to someone who lived near a bridge. The family name Brockmeyer is a compound name that was originally derived from the German words brücke, which in turn was originally derived from the Old German word brugga, which means bridge and the medieval office title of maior. However, in the Low German regions, the name Brockmeyer stems from the Low German word brauk which means swamp. Alternatively, in the eastern parts of Germany, the surname Brockmeyer originated as a nickname type of surname derived from the Wendish (Slavic) word bruk, which means beetle or bug.

Early Origins of the Brockmeyer family

The surname Brockmeyer was first found in Bavaria, where the name Bruckmayr made an important contribution to the feudal society of early Europe. The name Bruckmayr was prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses, where members continued to play an important role in the savage tribal and national conflicts which resulted as each group sought to maximize its power and status in an ever changing territorial profile.

Early History of the Brockmeyer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brockmeyer research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1819 is included under the topic Early Brockmeyer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brockmeyer Spelling Variations

In 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 Brockmeyer include Bruckmayr, Bruchmayr, Brukmayr, Bruckmayer, Bruchmayer, Brukmayer, Bruckmeyer, Bruchmeyer, Brukmeyer, Brueckmayr, Bruechmayr, Bruekmayr, Brueckmayer, Bruechmayer, Bruekmayer, Brueckmeyer, Bruechmeyer, Bruekmeyer, Brockmayr, Brochmayr, Brokmayr, Brockmayer, Brochmayer, Brokmayer, Brockmeyer, Brochmeyer, Brokmeyer, Broekmayr, Broechmayr, Broekmayr, Broeckmayer, Broechmayer, Broekmayer, Broeckmeyer, Broechmeyer, Broekmeyer and many more.

Early Notables of the Brockmeyer family

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

Brockmeyer migration to the United States +

The 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 Bavaria who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. For many Bavarian tenant farmers, the chance to own their own land was a major incentive. So the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlement centered in Ontario and the prairie provinces. Among those of this surname listed in various historical records were:

Brockmeyer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Adam Brockmeyer and Hermann and Bernhard Borckmeier all of whom were listed as having arrived in Missouri in 1840
Adam Brockmeyer, aged 30, who landed in Missouri in 1840 1
Joh Heinr W Brockmeyer, who arrived in Cincinnati, Oh in 1849 1
Johanne Heinrich W. Brockmeyer, accompanied by his wife, M. Sophia Brinkmann, and their child, who arrived in Cincinnati in 1849
Rudolph Brockmeyer, who arrived in New York state in 1858
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Brockmeyer (post 1700) +

John Brockmeyer (1940-1990), American actor from Columbus, Ohio, known for The Sorrows of Dolores (1986) and Impostors (1979)
Win Brockmeyer (1907-1980), American football coach from Mankato, Minnesota
Oscar Brockmeyer (1883-1954), American silver medalist soccer player at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Henry Clay Brockmeyer (1828-1906), Prussian-born, American Democratic Party politician, Lieutenant Governor of Missouri, 1877-81 2
John H. Brockmeyer (1890-1984), American Republican politician, Member of Iowa State House of Representatives from Howard County, 1951 2
Claus Brockmeyer (b. 1953), German actor, known for Underworld (2003), Lost Horizon (2010) and Anatomy (2000)

Citations +

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