Show ContentsBrimm History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Brimm is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Gloucestershire, where they held the manor and lands of Breme in the village and parish of that name. [1] It is from the manorial name from which the family name is derived. The name Brimm means fierce, or vigorous. [2]

Early Origins of the Brimm family

The surname Brimm was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where the singular name Breme was recorded in Suffolk. [3]

Later, Hugo Brem was found in the Assize Rolls for Warwickshire in 1221 and Simon Brim was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279 in Cambridgeshire. Again in Cambridgeshire, we found Agatha Breme in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327 and in the same year, Robert Brymme was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex. [2]

Early History of the Brimm family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brimm research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brimm History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brimm 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 Brimm family name include Breame, Bream, Breme and others.

Early Notables of the Brimm family

More information is included under the topic Early Brimm Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brimm family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, 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. Early immigrants bearing the Brimm surname or a spelling variation of the name include: William Breame who settled in Barbados in 1654; John Bream arrived in Pennsylvania in 1866 and moved westward.



  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)


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