Brice History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Scotland
Ireland

The Picts were the ancient Scottish tribe where the ancestors of the Brice family lived. The name Brice comes from the Gaulish saint Bricius, a nephew of St. Martin of Tours in the 5th century. From Gaelic, the name means quick or speedy.

Early Origins of the Brice family

The surname Brice was first found in Morayshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, around the 12th century. The name was originally Bricius, a Gaulish Saint of the fifth century, a nephew of St. Martin of Tours.

Early History of the Brice family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brice research. Another 214 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1189, 1203, 1296, 1370, 1532, 1569, 1570, 1636, 1648, 1690, 1696 and 1773 are included under the topic Early Brice History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brice Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Brice has been spelled Bryce, Brice, Bricius, Bryse, Breise, Bryces, Brices, Bryses, Breises, Bryse, Brise, Briece and many more.

Early Notables of the Brice family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

Bishop Bricius of Moray; Edmund Brice (fl. 1648 - 1696), an English translator and schoolmaster; Edward Brice or Bryce (1569?-1636), Scottish Presbyterian minister; and Elizabeth Brice (Amadas) (died...
Thomas Brice (d. 1570), was an English martyrologist who was engaged early in Queen Mary's reign in bringing Protestant books 'from Wesel into Kent and London. He was watched and dogged [by the govern...
Andrew Brice (1690-1773), was an English printer, son of Andrew Brice, shoemaker, was born at Exeter in 1690. He was intended by his friends to be trained up as a dissenting minister, but when he was...

Brice Ranking

In the United States, the name Brice is the 3,268^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Brice is ranked the 2,358^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Brice family to Ireland

Some of the Brice family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brice migration to the United States +

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Brice:

Brice Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Francis Brice, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 3
Martha Brice, who landed in Virginia in 1648 3
Robert Brice, who landed in Virginia in 1648 3
Elizabeth Brice, who landed in Maryland in 1668 3
William Brice, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brice Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Brice, who settled in North Carolina in 1701
Ann Brice, who arrived in North Carolina in 1702 3
William Brice, who landed in North Carolina in 1702 3
Writ Brice, who arrived in North Carolina in 1702 3
James Brice, who settled in New Hampshire in 1718

Brice Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Archibald Brice, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 3
David Brice, aged 32, who landed in New York in 1812 3
James E Brice, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 3
Nicholas J Brice, aged 52, who landed in Missouri in 1848 3
A J Brice, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brice migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brice Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mary Brice, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
William Brice, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Brice Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Brice, who landed in Canada in 1815

Brice migration to Australia +

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

Brice Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Brice, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. Henry Brice who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 3rd October 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
E.M. Brice, who arrived in Port Misery aboard the ship "Duchess of Northumberland" in 1839 6
Amry Ann Brice, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Himalaya" in 1849 7
Johanna Brice, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Himalaya" in 1849 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brice migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Brice Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Mary W Brice, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 8
W. Brice, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 8
Mrs. Sarah Brice, (b. 1823), aged 50, Cornish settler departing on 14th January 1873 aboard the ship "Parsee" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th May 1873, she was widowed and travelling with Nathanial Rowe 9
Sarah Brice, aged 50, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Parsee" in 1873
Mr. William Brice, (b. 1849), aged 30, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brice migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10

Brice Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Brice, who settled in Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Brice (post 1700) +

William Oscar Brice CBE (1898-1972), United States Marine Corps General, recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and Bronze Star
Carol Brice (1918-1985), American contralto
John Brice III (1738-1820), American lawyer, businessman and political leader
John Brice Jr. (1705-1766), early American settler and Loyalist politician, member of the Governor's Council, twice Mayor of Annapolis
William Brice (1921-2008), American artist known for his large-scale abstract paintings
Calvin Stewart Brice (1845-1898), Democratic politician from Ohio
Fannie Brice (1891-1951), American illustrated song "model," comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress
Louis-Adrien Brice De Montigny, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 11
William Charles Brice (1921-2007), British ethnographer and linguist
Christopher Trevor Brice (b. 1983), English cricketer
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Brice family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. Walter Thomas Brice (1869-1928), aged 42, English Able Seaman from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 11 12

The Brice Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fiat justitia
Motto Translation: Let justice be done.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) THE DUCHESS OF NORTHUMBERLAND - 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839DuchessOfNorthumberland.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The HIMALAYA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Himalaya.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Auckland 1872-80 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Louis-Adrien Brice. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html