The ancestry of the name Brighan dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in Yorkshire, where they lived in the village named Brigham. The place-name Brigham is derived from the Old English words Brycg and ham which literally mean bridge and homestead. 1
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Early Origins of the Brighan family
The surname Brighan was first found in the East Riding of Yorkshire at Brigham, a township, in the parish of Fostonupon-Wolds, union of Driffield, wapentake of Dickering. Brigham can also be found in the West division of Cumberland where it is a parish of some size. 2
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Early History of the Brighan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brighan research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1543, 1555 and 1558 are included under the topic Early Brighan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Brighan Spelling Variations
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Brighan have been found, including Briggam, Brigham, Brighame and others.
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Early Notables of the Brighan family
Distinguished members of the family include Nicholas Brigham (d. 1558), a Latin scholar and antiquarian, who gave up literature to practice in the law courts. In 1555, he built a tomb for the bones of Chaucer in Westminster Abbey. It is thought that "he was... Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brighan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Brighan family
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Brighan, or a variant listed above: Richard Brigham settled in the New Netherlands in 1645; Thomas Brigham settled in Cambridge Massachusetts in 1645; John Brigham settled in Maryland in 1774.
England
