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Show ContentsBright History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The name Bright is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in the village of Bright, in Cheshire. The name could have also been a nickname for someone who was bright or fair, or it could have been from the Old English word beorht which means bright. "Beorht was the name of a Northum­brian ealdorman who was slain by the Picts, A.D. 699. " 1

The Anglo Saxon word beort, means brilliant, illustrious. 2

Early Origins of the Bright family

The surname Bright was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Bright family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bright research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1551, 1588, 1615, 1619, 1643, 1654, 1655, 1688 and 1882 are included under the topic Early Bright History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bright Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Bright has been spelled many different ways, including Bright, Brite and others.

Early Notables of the Bright family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Timothie Bright, M.D. (1551?-1615), an early British physician and clergyman, the inventor of modern shorthand. He is thought to have been born near Sheffield. "The art of writing by signs originated...
  • Sir John Bright, 1st Baronet (1619-1688), was an English parliamentarian of Carbrook and Badsworth, Yorkshire. "Born in 1619, [he] took up arms for the parliament at the outbreak of the civil war. He...

Bright World Ranking

In the United States, the name Bright is the 915th most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Bright is ranked the 726th most popular surname with an estimated 5,354 people with that name. 4 And in New Zealand, the name Bright is the 599th popular surname with an estimated 1,199 people with that name. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Bright as 830th with 8,164 people. 6

United States Bright migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Brights to arrive in North America:

Bright Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Francis Bright who settled in Salem, Massachusetts in 1629
  • Francis Bright, who arrived in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1629 7
  • Henry Bright, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, bound for Watertown 7
  • Henry, Bright Jr., who landed in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1642 7
  • Leonard Bright, who landed in Virginia in 1642 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bright Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Michael Bright, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1726 7
  • William Bright, who settled in New England in 1747
Bright Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Edward Bright, who arrived in New York in 1822 7
  • Robert Bright, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1829 7
  • Miss Lizzie Bright, (b. 1863), aged 26, Cornish settler departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "Umbria" arriving in the United States on 17 June 1889 8
  • Andrew Jackson Bright, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1895 7

Canada Bright migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bright Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Moses Bright U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 178 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York 9
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Bright U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 297 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York 9

Australia Bright migration to Australia +

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

Bright Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Bright, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • Mr. James Bright, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 22nd September 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Mr. James Bright, British Convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
  • William Bright, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 13
  • Mr. John Bright, English convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Bright 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:

Bright Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Dr. Bright, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship "David" arriving in New Zealand in 1839 15
  • Mrs. Sarah Bright, (b. 1829), aged 34, British needlewoman travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th February 1864 15
  • Mr. William Bright, (b. 1848), aged 15, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th February 1864 15
  • Mr. Richard J. Bright, (b. 1850), aged 13, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th February 1864 15
  • Miss Grace Bright, (b. 1856), aged 7, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th February 1864 15
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bright (post 1700) +

  • Ronnell Lovelace Bright (1930-2021), American jazz pianist who made cameo appearances in the TV shows The Jeffersons and Sanford and Son, also working on The Carol Burnett Show
  • Richard J Bright (1937-2006), American actor, best known for his role as Al Neri in the Godfather films
  • Myron H. Bright (1919-2016), United States federal jurist, Judge of the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (1968–1985)
  • Ronald David "Ronnie" Bright (1938-2015), American R&B and doo wop singer
  • Susannah "Susie" Bright (b. 1958), American writer, speaker, teacher, audio-show host, and performer
  • Johnny D. Bright (1930-1983), American-born, Canadian CFL football player, inductee into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame
  • Jesse David Bright (1812-1875), American politician, 9th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
  • William Bright (1928-2006), American Linguist, Professor of Linguistics at UCLA (1959-1988)
  • Mark K. Bright, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 9 aerial victories
  • Bobby Neal Bright Sr. (b. 1952), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, 1999-2008; U.S. Representative from Alabama 2nd District, 2009-11 16
  • ... (Another 48 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Royal Oak
  • Herbert Bright (d. 1939), British Marine with the Royal Marine aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 17
Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)
  • Nicholas Bright (1956-1988), American Businessman from Brookline, Massachusetts, America, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 18
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Arthur John Bright (1869-1955), aged 42, English Quartermaster from Woolston, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 10 19

Suggested Readings for the name Bright +

  • Looking Back: A Family History (including the Bright Family) and Genealogy of and by Hazel Wise Huffman by Hazel Wise Huffman.
  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  5. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  6. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  7. 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)
  8. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
  9. 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
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  13. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
  15. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  16. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  17. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  18. Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html
  19. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
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