Bredin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The prominent surname Bredin claims its ancestry as an ancient Celtic name derived from "brez" (meaning hill) and the Old English word "dun" which combined roughly translates as "hill called Bre" 1

Early Origins of the Bredin family

The surname Bredin was first found in Worcestershire at Bredon, a parish in the union of Tewkesbury, part of the hundred of Oswaldslow. It is generally understood that Bredon was given by Ethelbald, King of Mercia, before the year 716, to his kinsman, Eanulph, who founded a monastery there in honor of St. Peter. The first listed spelling of the place name was found in 772 when it was listed as Breodun. 1 The Domesday Book lists it as part of the Church of St. Mary and had two entries: Bredon (Breodun) and Bredon's Norton. The former comprised land enough for twenty-three ploughs. Bredon's Norton was considerably smaller with room enough for one plough, about 6 acres. 2 While the Domesday Book does not list the number of acres for Bredon, a latter reference lists the parish as comprising by computation between 5000 and 6000 acres, of which 963 are in the hamlet of Bredon. Breedon on the Hill is a village and civil parish in North West Leicestershire.

Early History of the Bredin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bredin research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1204, 1207, 1272, 1273, 1300, 1372, 1379, 1638 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bredin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bredin Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Bredin are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Bredin include: Bredon, Breedon, Breedin, Bredin and others.

Early Notables of the Bredin family

Distinguished members of the family include Reverend John Symonds who on inheriting the estate of the Bredon senior line changed his name to Bredon, thereby continuing the line. Simon Bredon (c.1300-1372) was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, arithmetician, geometrician, and medic. He was a member of...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bredin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bredin family to Ireland

Some of the Bredin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 108 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bredin migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Bredin or a variant listed above:

Bredin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

C V Bredin, aged 26, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1849 3
C W Bredin, aged 26, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1849 3
Victor Bredin, aged 26, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1849 3
John and William Bredin, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1860

Contemporary Notables of the name Bredin (post 1700) +

Patricia Bredin (1935-2023), English actress and singer, best known as the first representative of the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
Edgar Craven Bredin (1886-1950), Irish mechanical and locomotive engineer, best known for introducing the largest steam locomotives to Ireland
Jean-Denis Bredin (1929-2021), French attorney and founding partner of the firm Bredin Prat
Gary Bredin (b. 1948), retired Canadian NHL ice hockey forward
William Bredin (1862-1942), Canadian politician and pioneer
Major-General Humphrey Edgar Nicholson "Bala" Bredin CB, DSO and two Bars, MC and Bar (1916-2005), British officer whose military service took him from 1930s Palestine via Dunkirk, North Africa and Italy to the Cold War in Germany

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)
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)