Breeden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The prominent surname Breeden 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 Breeden family

The surname Breeden 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 Breeden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Breeden 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 Breeden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Breeden Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Breeden has been recorded under many different variations, including Bredon, Breedon, Breedin, Bredin and others.

Early Notables of the Breeden 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 Breeden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Breeden Ranking

In the United States, the name Breeden is the 2,912^nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Breeden family to Ireland

Some of the Breeden 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.

Breeden migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Breeden or a variant listed above:

Breeden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Breeden, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1665 4

Breeden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Breeden, who landed in Maryland in 1716 4

Breeden Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Bridget Breeden, aged 27, originally from Strokestown, Ireland, arrived in New York in 1906 aboard the ship "Celtic" from Queenstown, Ireland 5
Herbert Breeden, aged 25, originally from London, England, arrived in New York in 1907 aboard the ship "Saint Louis" from Southampton, England 5
H. Clay Breeden, aged 47, arrived in New York in 1908 aboard the ship "Republic" from Naples, Italy 5
Myra Breeden, aged 34, originally from London, England, arrived in New York in 1924 aboard the ship "Albert Ballin" from Southampton, England 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Breeden (post 1700) +

Richard C. Breeden (b. 1949), 24th Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (1989-1993)
Joseph Thomas Breeden (b. 1956), American Major League Baseball coach
C. David Breeden (1938-2006), American sculptor
Harold Scott Breeden (1937-2006), American Major League Baseball pitcher and pitching coach
David McKee Breeden (1946-2005), American clarinetist, principal with the San Francisco Symphony for 25 years
Elaine Breeden (b. 1988), American swimmer
Louis Breeden (b. 1953), former American NFL football player
Harold Noel "Hal" Breeden (b. 1944), former American Major League Baseball first baseman
Danny Richard Breeden (b. 1942), former American right-handed Major League Baseball catcher
Harold Leon Breeden (1921-2010), American jazz studies educator at the collegiate level, a classical and jazz clarinetist, a saxophonist, a prolific composer and arranger, a music clinician, and jazz festival judge
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result