Show ContentsBraem History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The lineage of the name Braem begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in any one of a number of similarly named settlements. Bramham and Braham were found in the West Riding of Yorkshire and Brantham was found in Suffolk. Braham Hall was in Essex, as was Bream's Farm.

Early Origins of the Braem family

The surname Braem was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire, at Braham, a parish, in the Upper division of the wapentake of Barkstone-Ash. "A battle was fought here in 1408, between Sir Thomas Rokeby, sheriff of Yorkshire, and the Earl of Northumberland, in which the earl was defeated and slain, and by which the possession of the county was secured to Henry IV. " [1]

Early rolls revealed a wide-spread use of the name with a variety of spellings: Eustace de Braham in Colchester, Essex (1189-1199); Matthew de Bramham, de Braham in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219; and Agnes de Brame in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. [2]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Alan de Braham, Suffolk; Richard de Brahain, Suffolk and Roger de Braham, Suffolk. [3]

Early History of the Braem family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Braem research. Another 232 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1379, 1500, 1555, 1600, 1602, 1660, 1681, 1707, 1718 and 1751 are included under the topic Early Braem History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Braem Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Braem has undergone many spelling variations, including Braham, Braim, Bramham, Brame, Braem and others.

Early Notables of the Braem family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Sir Arnold Braemes (1602-1681), was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660; and Richard Brind (died 1718), was an English organist and composer, Organist and Master...


United States Braem migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Braem were among those contributors:

Braem Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Bastiaen Braem, who arrived in New York in 1709 [4]
  • Hairy Braem, who landed in Carolina in 1735 [4]
  • Heiry Braem, who settled in Carolina in 1738
Braem Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Rudolph Braem, who landed in New York in 1838 [4]


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook