Contents [hide]

Brunt History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Brunt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

Early Origins of the Brunt family

The surname Brunt was first found in East Lothian, at Brunton, "a village, in the parish of Creich, district of Cupar. This village, which is pleasantly situated, is inhabited chiefly by persons employed in agriculture, and in hand-loom weaving for the linen manufacturers of Cupar. " 1 2

One of the first records of the family was Walter of Burntoun who held part of Luffness in the reign of Robert III. 3 Further to the south in England, Adam de Brunton was listed in Shropshire, 20 Edward I (in the twentieth year's reign on Edward I.) 4

Robert de Brunton was found in Cheshire c. 1160-74 and later Edmund de Brunton was listed in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1234. 5

East Brunton is a township, in the parish of Gosforth, union and W. division of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland. Nearby we find High and Low Brunton and West Brunton. Collectively they date back to 1242 when they were known as Burneton and literally meant "farmstead by a stream," from the Old English "burna" + "tun. 6

Early History of the Brunt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brunt research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1140, 1200, 1585, 1844 and 1916 are included under the topic Early Brunt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brunt Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Brunt has been spelled Brunton, Brunten, Bruntin and others.

Early Notables of the Brunt family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

George Brunton, a writer in Edinburgh
Professor Alexander Brunton, a Professor of Oriental Languages at the University of Edinburgh

Brunt Ranking

In the United States, the name Brunt is the 17,023^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Brunt migration to the United States +

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them:

Brunt Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Margaret Brunt, who landed in Maryland in 1656 8
Milka Brunt, who landed in Maryland in 1665 8
Edward Brunt, who landed in Maryland in 1665 8

Brunt Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Brunt, who arrived in America in 1765 8
Frederick Brunt, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1792 8
Fredericka Brunt, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1792 8

Brunt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ralph Brunt, who arrived in New York in 1822 8
Robert Brunt, who landed in New York, NY in 1827 8
Thomas Brunt, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1832 8
S Brunt, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1860 8
Richard Brunt, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1875 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brunt migration to Australia +

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

Brunt Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Brunt, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 25th June 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. John Brunt, British Convict who was convicted in Stafford, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 26th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
John Brunt, English convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Agincourt" on July 6, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11

Brunt migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 12

Brunt Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Edward Brunt, (b. 1609), aged 25, British settler travelling from London, UK arriving in St Christopher (St. Kitts) on 5th January 1634 13
Mr. Edward Brunt, (b. 1609), aged 26, British settler traveling aboard the ship "William and John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 14
Mr. John Brunt, (b. 1611), aged 24, British settler traveling aboard the ship "William and John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 14

Contemporary Notables of the name Brunt (post 1700) +

Maureen Brunt (b. 1982), American Olympic curler
Rutger Van Brunt, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Kings County, 1783-84 15
John Van Brunt, American politician, Member of New Jersey State Senate from Bergen County, 1850-51 15
James A. Van Brunt (d. 1891), American politician, Representative from New York 2nd District, 1880 15
George R. Van Brunt, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Chester, 1918, 1920 15
George B. Van Brunt Jr., American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 20th District, 1868 15
D. C. Van Brunt, American politician, Presidential Elector for Wisconsin, 1884 15
D. B. Van Brunt, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Acapulco, 1856, 1860 15
Charles H. Van Brunt, American politician, Justice of New York Supreme Court 1st District, 1897, 1900-03; Justice of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court 1st Department, 1900 15
Stephen Brunt (b. 1959), Canadian sports journalist for The Globe and Mail
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Brunt family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. William Paul Brunt (1875-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 16
Mr. Vincent Brunt, Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 16

The Brunt 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: Fax mentis incendium gloriae
Motto Translation: The torch of glory inflames the mind.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
"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 27th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emily
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asiatic
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Agincourt voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 226 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agincourt/1844
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance