Brabeck History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Nestled between the Rhine and Wesser rivers is the ancient German region of Westphalia. Westphalia, the home of the name Brabeck. When hereditary surnames were adopted in this region, after the 12th century, names that were derived from localities were quite common. These "local" surnames originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. When coupled with the German preposition von, which means from or of, local names can indicate that the initial bearer of the name was an aristocrat. However, in modern times, the use of the preposition has often long since been dropped from use. The Brabeck family originally lived in the duchy of Brabant, which was in what is now Belgium and the Southern Netherlands.

Early Origins of the Brabeck family

The surname Brabeck was first found in Westphalia, where the name could be considered to make a great early contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of early development of Europe. 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.

Early History of the Brabeck family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brabeck research. Another 169 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1256, 1688, 1702, 1776 and 1803 are included under the topic Early Brabeck History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brabeck 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 Brabeck include Brabeck, Brabbeck, Brabech, Brabeche, Brabek, Brabeke, Brabekke and many more.

Early Notables of the Brabeck family

Notables of the period with the name Brabeck were

1702), who was the son of the Baron Westhoff von Brabeck, Lord of the Hemmer and Lethmate estates...

Migration of the Brabeck family

Many Germans emigrated across the Atlantic to seek better lives in North America. This great migration began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century. Resettlement was particularly attractive to those from Westphalia as a means of escape from poverty and religious persecution. For many Westphalian farmers, the chance to own one's own land was also a major incentive. The process of 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 settlements centered around Ontario and the Prairie provinces. Among them: Mardi Brabeckh, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749. Heinrich Brabek came to Philadelphia in 1749.

Contemporary Notables of the name Brabeck (post 1700) +

Mary M Brabeck, Psychologist, professor of counseling and developmental psychology at Boston College (1980-2003)