Show ContentsBrose History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of the great Scottish surname Brose actually lie off of the British Isles, as Brose (or Brus) was a name carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Brose family originally lived in Normandy. The exact location of the place from which the family name is derived is under dispute, as one may expect of such a prominent name. The traditional interpretation is that the name is derived from the place-name Brix, in La Manche. It is argued, however, that there is no real evidence in support of this, and that the name is actually derived from the place-name Le Brus, in Calvados. 1

Early Origins of the Brose family

The surname Brose was first found in Yorkshire where Robert de Bruis was granted ninety-four manors. His son Robert de Bruys traveled north with Earl David of Huntingdon who later became King of Scotland and was granted large estates in Annandale, Scotland about 1150. Robert de Bruys had two sons: Robert and William. Robert, who became known as Robert the Bruce, would later claim the crown of Scotland and unite Scotland against the English. He defeated the English army soundly in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. "Robert, 'the Bruce of Bannockburn,' was arguably the most illustrious monarch that ever swayed the Scottish sceptre." 2 As a result of this battle Scotland gained its independence from England as declared in the Treaty of Northampton (1328).

King Robert the Bruce died the next year at Cardross. Although he had instructed to one of his most trusted followers to bury his heart in the Holy Land, they were stopped in Spain and therefore returned to Scotland. His heart is buried at Melrose in Dunfermeline. The Earls of Elgin are descended from the Bruces of Clackmannan.

Early History of the Brose family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brose research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1274, 1318, 1329, 1548, 1550, 1599, 1611, 1625, 1629, 1663, 1669, 1679, 1681, 1686, 1688, 1700, 1735 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Brose History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brose Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Brywiss, Broyse, Bruce, Bruice, Bruise, Brus, Broys, Brywass, Brues, Brywess, Bruwes, Bruys, Bruze, Brwze, Brywes, Bruse, Braose, Bruis, Browse and many more.

Early Notables of the Brose family

Notable among the family at this time was Robert Bruce (1274-1329), King of Scotland. His body is buried in Dunfermline Abbey, while his heart is buried in Melrose Abbey. His embalmed heart was to be taken on crusade by his lieutenant and friend Sir James Douglas to the Holy Land but Douglas only made it as far as Granada, Spain. Other notables include: Edward Bruce, 1st Lord Kinloss PC (1548-1611), a Scottish lawyer and judge; Sir George Bruce of...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brose Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brose Ranking

In the United States, the name Brose is the 15,568th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Ireland Migration of the Brose family to Ireland

Some of the Brose family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Brose migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brose Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • George Brose, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1835 4
  • John Brose, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1837 4
  • Jacob Brose, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 4
  • Fr Carl Brose, who arrived in New York in 1848 4
  • Wilhelm Brose, aged 14, who arrived in New York, NY in 1894 4

Canada Brose migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brose Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Ernest Brose, aged 27, who landed in Quebec in 1868

Contemporary Notables of the name Brose (post 1700) +

  • Dario Brose (b. 1970), retired American soccer player
  • Don Brose, American former college men's ice hockey coach
  • Henry Herman Leopold Adolph Brose (1890-1965), Australian physicist and Rhodes Scholar
  • Brose A. McVey, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Indiana 7th District, 2002 5


The Brose 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: Fuimus
Motto Translation: We have been


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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