Bruen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The Irish name Bruen has evolved from the Gaelic Mac Braoin or Ó Braoin.

Early Origins of the Bruen family

The surname Bruen was first found in County Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh), the former Kingdom of Osraige (Ossory), located in Southeastern Ireland in the province of Leinster, where the family is descended through the Heremon line and claim to be direct descendants of King Niall of the Nine Hostages.

They were known as the Lords of Brawney 1 and were an Ossory sept (Clann) seated near Knocktopher, Kilkenny, until they had to forfeit their lands by the Anglo Norman invasion of Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke in 1172. They were subsequently dispersed throughout Ireland.

Early History of the Bruen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bruen research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1303, 1324, 1560 and 1625 are included under the topic Early Bruen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bruen Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Bruen that are preserved in archival documents are Breen, Breene, Brean, Breane, Bruen, Brawney, O'Breen, O'Braoin and many more.

Early Notables of the Bruen family

Notable among the family name at this time was

he took his name from the civil parish Bruen Stapleford, Cheshire

Bruen migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Bruen name:

Bruen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Obadiah Bruen, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1640 2

Bruen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Bruen, aged 37, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
Patrick Bruen, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1838

Contemporary Notables of the name Bruen (post 1700) +

Edward Everett Bruen (1859-1938), American politician, the first Mayor of East Orange, New Jersey
George W. Bruen, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County, 1839 3
George Bruen, American Republican politician, Chair of Van Buren County Republican Party, 2003 3
Elias Bruen, American politician, Postmaster at Clarksburg, Virginia, 1849-52 3
Edward Everett Bruen (1859-1938), American politician, Mayor of East Orange, New Jersey, 1899-1905 3
Edward E. Bruen, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Jersey, 1944 3
Henry Bruen (1741-1795), Irish politician, Member of the Parliament of Ireland for Jamestown 1783-1790 and Carlow County 1790-1795
Henry Bruen PC, DL (1828-1912), Irish Conservative Party politician, Member of Parliament for Carlow County (1857-1880)
Francis Bruen (d. 1867), Irish Conservative Party politician, Member of Parliament for Carlow Borough from 1835 to 1837
Colonel Henry Bruen (1789-1852), Irish Tory Party politician, Member of Parliament for Carlow County for 36 years
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Bruen 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: Comnac an Ceane
Motto Translation: Fight for Right

Citations +

O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html