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Show ContentsBrett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The ancestral home of the Brett family is in the German state of Bavaria. The name Brett is an occupational hereditary surname, a type of surname that was taken from a word describing or common to the profession of the original bearer. It is a name for a carpenter or a person who worked making shelves and other wooden objects. The name Brett was originally derived from the Old Germanic word Brett, which means carpenter. It was given to a person who ran a sawmill or a lumber merchant. By the Middle Ages, the Brett family had been elevated to the ranks of the nobility and had become extremely involved in the local social, economic and political affairs of Bavaria. It acquired a prestigious reputation for its contribution to the development of the district. The social status and prestige of the Brett family was increased when it expanded and acquired distant estates in other areas of Germany.

Early Origins of the Brett family

The surname Brett was first found in Bavaria, where the name could be considered to have made an early contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of early development of Europe. There is record of a Sydel Bretsnyder in 1372 in Liegnitz and a Peter Bretsnyder in Breslau in 1397.

Jakob Bretschneider is listed as living in Dippoldiswalde in 1499 in a document called "Die Matrikel des Hochstifts Merseburg" which chronicles Germanic surnames. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the savage tribal and national conflicts, each group seeking power and status in an ever-changing territorial profile. Bret or Brett are short forms of the name Brettschneider, a name meaning a person running a sawmill or a lumber merchant.

Early History of the Brett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brett research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1776, 1844, 1848 and 1880 are included under the topic Early Brett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brett 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 Brett include Bret, Brett, Brette, Bretsch, Brettschneider, Bretsnyder, Brettschnyder and many more.

Early Notables of the Brett family

Prominent among members of the name Brett in this period include Friedrich Wilhelm Bretschneider, a lieutenant field-marshal in the Austrian army and at one time the commandant of the Italian city...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brett Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brett World Ranking

In the United States, the name Brett is the 5,718th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Brett is ranked the 358th most popular surname with an estimated 129 people with that name. 2 And in the United Kingdom, the name Brett is the 720th popular surname with an estimated 9,293 people with that name. 3

United States Brett migration to the United States +

Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Brett or a variant listed above:

Brett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Isabel Brett, who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet
  • Alex Brett, who landed in Virginia in 1638 4
  • William Brett, who landed in New England in 1645 4
  • Thomas Brett, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 4
  • Emma Brett, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Brett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Susanna Brett, who arrived in Virginia in 1711 4
  • John Brett, who landed in Virginia in 1714 4
  • Timothy Brett, who arrived in Virginia in 1719 4
  • Matthias Brett, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766 4
Brett Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert R Brett, aged 53, who landed in New York in 1806 4
  • Edmund Brett, aged 37, who landed in New York in 1812 4
  • Richard Brett, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 4
  • R S Brett, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
  • Martin Brett, aged 18, who landed in New York in 1854 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Brett migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brett Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Hanah Brett, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • James Brett, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Margaret Brett, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Peter Brett, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Phoebe Brett, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Brett Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Miss. Bridget Brett, aged 4 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "John Bolton" departing 13th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but she died on board 5
  • Mr. Edward Brett, aged 11 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "John Bolton" departing 13th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but he died on board 5
  • Miss. Mary Brett, aged 3 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Jane Avery" departing 9th May 1847 from Dublin, Ireland; the ship arrived on 25th June 1847 but she died on board 5

Australia Brett migration to Australia +

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

Brett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Brett, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Mr. Stephen Brett, (b. 1772), aged 48, English labourer who was convicted in Kent, England for life, transported aboard the "Dick" on 2nd October 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1831 7
  • William Brett, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • William Arthur Brett, English convict from Essex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
  • Mr. John Brett, (b. 1789), aged 33, Irish reaper who was convicted in County Meath, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Brett 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:

Brett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. George Brett, (b. 1820), aged 21, British lawyer travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand via Wellington on 7th November 1841 11
  • Captian Brett, British settler, from the 43rd Regiment travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of the Deep" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1854 11
  • Mr. Daniel Brett, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "British Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th August 1859 12
  • Mrs. Catherine Brett, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "British Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th August 1859 12
  • Mrs. Mary Brett, (b. 1836), aged 24, Irish settler from County Cork travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st August 1860 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Brett migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13
Brett Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • James Brett, who settled in Barbados in 1635
  • Mr. James Brett, (b. 1618), aged 17, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 14

Contemporary Notables of the name Brett (post 1700) +

  • Thomas Rutherford Brett (1931-2021), American jurist, United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma
  • Kenneth Alven "Kemer" Brett (1948-2003), American Major League Baseball pitcher
  • George Brett (b. 1953), American Hall of Fame third baseman
  • Brigadier-General Sereno Elmer Brett (1891-1952), American Commanding General 5th Armored Division (1942-1943) 15
  • Lieutenant-General George Howard Brett (1886-1963), American Commanding General of the Allied Air Forces in the Southwest Pacific (1942) 16
  • George J. Brett, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Pennsylvania State Treasurer, 1960 17
  • George H. Brett, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1912 17
  • George Brett, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1920, 1924 17
  • Ezra C. Brett, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maine, 1868 17
  • Dwight L. Brett, American politician, Mayor of St. Augustine, Florida, 1951, 1955 17
  • ... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Benjamin A Brett (b. 1918), English Ordinary Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Farnham, Surrey, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  4. 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)
  5. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 66)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
  8. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
  9. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  14. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  15. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) Sereno Brett. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Brett/Sereno_Elmer/USA.html
  16. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) George Brett. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Brett/George_Howard/USA.html
  17. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  18. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
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