Show ContentsBratenman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Bratenman is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was given to a person who was a maker of ropes or cords.

Early Origins of the Bratenman family

The surname Bratenman was first found in Norfolk, at Bradenham, a village and civil parish that dates back to before the Domesday Book where it was listed with the same spelling. [1] The place name literally means "broad homestead or enclosure" derived from the Old English words "brad" + "ham". [2]

The first record of the family was found here in the Pipe Rolls of 1177 when Suift de Bradenham was recorded as holding lands at that time. [3]

Later the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Richard de Bradenham, Norfolk; and Alan de Bradinham, Huntingdonshire. [4] In 1337, Richard de Bradenham was also recorded in Norfolk. [5] The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III recorded William de Bradenham, Norfolk, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of King Edward I.'s reign.)

Bradenham is also a village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, near Saunderton. This village also dates back to the Domesday Book [6] where it was listed as Bradeham. Bradenham Manor is a grand red brick manor house that dates back to the 13th century when it belonged to the Earl of Warwick.

Bradnam Wood is a 12.5-hectare (31-acre) Local Nature Reserve west of Maidenhead in Berkshire and is managed by The Woodland Trust.

Early History of the Bratenman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bratenman research. Another 280 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1177, 1273, 1337, 1500, 1612, 1699, 1739, 1750, 1769, 1781 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Bratenman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bratenman Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bratenman family name include Bradnam, Bradenham, Bradinham, Bradinam, Bradnem and others.

Early Notables of the Bratenman family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Suift de Bradenham, a prominent 12th century landholder in Norfolk; and Matthew Brettingham (1699- 1769), known as Matthew Brettingham the Elder, an 18th-century Englishman who rose from humble origins to supervise the construction of Holkham Hall, Norfolk and eventually became one of the country's better-known architects. [7]His...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bratenman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bratenman family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Bratenman or a variant listed above: a number of settlers who arrived in the New World by the 19th century.



  1. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
  6. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  7. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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