Brouch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The bountiful region surrounding the Rhine river is the birthplace of the name Brouch. A single name was, at one time, all that people needed. However, increasing ease of travel and the burgeoning populations forced people to adopt a hereditary surname to set themselves apart from others. A common form of surname found in the Rhineland was the local name, a name taken on from a place-name. Originally denoting the proprietorship of a village or estate, the German preposition von, which means from or of, used with local names, was taken as a mark of aristocracy. The surname Brouch was given to someone who lived beside a dyke. Brouch is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Brouch family

The surname Brouch was first found in the Rhineland, where the name Bruch contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation and played a large role in the tribal and national conflicts of the area. In later years the name branched into many houses, where family members continued to play a significant role in the local social and political affairs.

Early History of the Brouch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brouch research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brouch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brouch Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Brouch include Bruch, Bruche, Bruck, Brucke, Bruk, Brukke, Brouch, Brouche, Brouck, Brouke, Bruech, Brueck, Bruek, Brok, Brokke, Broech, Broeck, Broech, Broeche, Broek and many more.

Early Notables of the Brouch family

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

Brouch migration to the United States +

The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from the Rhineland who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. Many of those who left the Rhineland to seek their fortunes in the prosperous and free New World settled in the major urban centers of the United States and Canada. In the United States, the settlers from the Rhineland passed through immigration centers like that of Ellis Island, most of them moving on to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, the majority of Rhinelanders settled in Ontario and the prairie provinces. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many important settlers to North America bearing the name Brouch, or one of its variants above:

Brouch Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Brouch, who landed in Virginia in 1639 1

Brouch Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hans Michel Brouch, aged 33, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 1

Citations +

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)