Brunker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Early Origins of the Brunker family

The surname Brunker was first found in Wiltshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Melsham, held by Liseman, a steward of the King who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Brunker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brunker research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1181, 1275, 1327, 1510, 1600, 1626, 1630, 1633, 1676 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Brunker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brunker Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Brunker, Brunger, Brouncker, Branker, Branger, Brounker and many more.

Early Notables of the Brunker family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Branker (Brancker) (1633-1676), an English mathematician from Barnstaple, Devon. He was born at Barnstaple in August 1633, the son of another Thomas Brancker, a graduate of Exeter College, Oxford...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brunker Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brunker migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brunker Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hey Brunker, aged 7, who landed in New York in 1864 2
Robert Brunker who arrived in Philadelphia in 1867
Auguste Brunker, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892

Brunker Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Annie E. Brunker, aged 35, who landed in America from Bromley, England, in 1920
Annie E Brunker, aged 36, who landed in America from Bromley, England, in 1920
Annie E Brunker, aged 38, who settled in America from Dublin, Ireland, in 1923
Justus Brunker, aged 31, who settled in America, in 1923

Brunker migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brunker Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

David Brunker and Francis Brunker, who were both recorded in the census of Ontario, Canada of 1871

Brunker migration to Australia +

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

Brunker Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Brunker, (Bunker), (b. 1788), aged 34, Irish clerk who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 14 years for uttering forged notes, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. Thomas Brunker, (b. 1810), aged 33, English labourer who was convicted in Wells, Somerset, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Brunker (post 1700) +

Major-General James Robert Brunker (1806-1869), Irish Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong (1867-1869)
Joel Brunker (b. 1986), Australian bantamweight boxer at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Amanda Brunker (b. 1974), Irish novelist, and columnist, former Miss Ireland
Linda Brunker (b. 1966), Irish sculptor
Adrian Brunker, Australian Rugby player
James Nixon Brunker (1832-1910), Australian businessman and politician

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st May 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cressy