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Branden History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Branden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The ancient history of the Branden name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in one of the settlements named Brandon in Durham, Norfolk, Suffolk, or Warwickshire, or in Brundon in Essex.

Early Origins of the Branden family

The surname Branden was first found in one of the many villages named Brandon or Brendon in England. The place names are frequent due to the literal origin of "hill where broom grows," from the Old English "brom" + "dun." 1

The oldest place name was Brandon, Lincolnshire which dates back to 1060 while the Suffolk, Warwickshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire locals are all listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 with various spellings used at that time: Brandona, Suffolk; Brandune, Warwickshire; Brandun, Norfolk; and Brandune, Lincolnshire. 2

Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG (c.1484-1545) lived in Westhorpe, Suffolk. "The Hall, a noble mansion, at one time the residence of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, was taken down about the middle of the last century; his royal consort, Mary, died here in 1533." 3

The same Duke of Suffolk also held lands and a family seat at Beckenham in Kent. "In the reign of Henry VIII., Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, entertained that monarch when on his journey to visit Anne of Cleves, with great pomp, at the manor-house." 3

There are many more notables of the name but for now we must pause to mention Richard Brandon (d. 1649) as he was the executioner of Charles I. He was the son of Gregory Brandon, a common hangman of London in the early part of the seventeenth century. 4

Early History of the Branden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Branden research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1484, 1485, 1514, 1516, 1517, 1519, 1534, 1535, 1537, 1545, 1547, 1551, 1559, 1649 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Branden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Branden Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Branden include Brandon, Branden, Brandan and others.

Early Notables of the Branden family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir William Brandon (d. 1485), who was Henry Tudor's standard-bearer at the Battle of Bosworth; his son Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle (c.1484-1545), brother-in-law to Henry VIII; Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln (1516-1534); Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk (1517-1559), maiden name Lady Frances Brandon, niece of Henry VIII; Lady Eleanor Brandon (1519-1547), the third child...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Branden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Branden family to Ireland

Some of the Branden family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Branden migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Branden or a variant listed above:

Branden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anna Margrett Branden, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1732
Anna Margrett Branden, aged 28, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 5

Branden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Branden, who arrived in South Carolina in 1806 5
Abraham Branden, who settled in New York in 1812
Abraham Branden, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1812 5
John Branden, aged 69, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 5
Conrad Branden, who arrived in Fairfield Co. OH in 1852

Branden migration to Australia +

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

Branden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Branden, British convict who was convicted in Greater Manchester, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Branden (post 1700) +

Nathaniel Branden (1930-2014), born Nathan Blumenthal, Canadian-born, American psychotherapist and writer
Barbara Branden (1929-2013), née Weidman, Canadian writer, editor, and lecturer

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall