Brister History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The name Brister was first used centuries ago in the region that was once the Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. It was a name for a brewster or brewer. Brister is an occupational name, given to someone who held the occupation of a brewer of ale. The inclusion of the feminine suffix -ster, indicates that this was originally a woman's occupation. Members of the Brister family were originally found in Lanarkshire, where the family can trace its origin to shortly after the Norman Conquest, in 1066.

Early Origins of the Brister family

The surname Brister was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow. The Scord of Brouster is one of the earliest Neolithic farm sites in Shetland, Scotland dating back to 2220 BC. Some of the earliest records of the family include: Nicholaus, braciator regis (i.e. the king's brewer), was present at the perambulation of lands in 1219; Johannes the 'braciator' was one of the 'native men' of the Abbey of Dunfermline in the thirteenth century; and Thomas le Breuester of the forest of Passeley in the county of Lanark rendered homage in 1296. 1

Early History of the Brister family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brister research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1379, 1382, 1480, 1560, 1599, 1620, 1623, 1644, 1645, 1653, 1656, 1659, 1663, 1671, 1674, 1698 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Brister History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brister Spelling Variations

Spelling in the medieval era was a highly imprecise process. Translation, particularly from Gaelic to English, was little better. For these reasons, early Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. In various documents Brister has been spelled Brewster, Broster, Brouster, Brewester, Brostar and many more.

Early Notables of the Brister family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Robert Brewster (1599-1663), an English politician and officer who sat in the House of Commons between 1645 and 1659, he was a general in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War; Francis Brewster (1623- 1671), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1653 and 1656; and Elder William Brewster (c.1560-1644), Pilgrim colonist leader and preacher born in Doncaster...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brister Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brister Ranking

In the United States, the name Brister is the 6,613^rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Brister family to Ireland

Some of the Brister family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brister migration to the United States +

These settlers arrived in North America at a time when the east was burgeoning with prosperous colonies and the expanses of the west were just being opened up. The American War of Independence was also imminent. Some Scots stayed to fight for a new country, while others who remained loyal went north as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of them went on to rediscover their heritage in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic Scottish events. The Brister were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Brister Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Brister, who landed in Maryland in 1651 3

Brister Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Arno Brister, aged 20, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1854 3

Brister migration to Australia +

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

Brister Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Brister, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Brister (post 1700) +

Wanda Brister (b. 1957), American operatic mezzo-soprano
Robert Earl Brister (b. 1920), United States Navy officer during World War II, lost at sea, eponym of the USS Brister (DE/DER-327), an Edsall-class destroyer escort
Scott Andrew Brister (b. 1954), American jurist, Texas Supreme Court Justice (2003-2009)
Patricia Phillips "Pat" Brister (b. 1946), American businesswoman and Republican politician, Louisiana Republican Party State Chairman (2000-2004)
Walter Andrew "Bubby" Brister III (b. 1962), American NFL football quarterback who played from 1986 to 2001
Patricia Brister (b. 1947), American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Louisiana, 2000; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Louisiana, 2004 5
James Brister, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Tennessee State Senate 31st District, 1947 5
Jacob H. Brister, American Republican politician, West Virginia State Treasurer, 1867-69 5
H. Brister, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky, 1908 5
Charles W. Brister, American politician, Mayor of Auburn, New York, 1915 5
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html