| ![Show Contents]() Bruyan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Bruyan came from the baptismal name Brun. "The name suggests connexion with Dutch bruin ‘bear’, but it may simply show attempts to indicate the pronunciation of French brun ‘brown’." 1 Two other sources agree with this assumptive origin. 2 3 Another source presumes the name was originally Bregwin, pronounced Brewin. Early Origins of the Bruyan familyThe surname Bruyan was first found in Norfolk, where William Bruin was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1209. Later, Patrick le Bruin was found in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1269 and William Bruyn was recorded in Wiltshire in 1330. Maurice Bruyn was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1425. 1 A branch of the family hailed from Bruen Stapleford in Cheshire where there "had been a succession from the middle of the thirteenth century." 4 Early History of the Bruyan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bruyan research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1538, 1560, 1570, 1577, 1616, 1625, 1656, 1682, 1695 and 1833 are included under the topic Early Bruyan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bruyan Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bruyan family name include Brewin, Brewne, Brewn, Bruin, Brunhus and others. Early Notables of the Bruyan familyNotables of the family at this time include Abraham de Bruyn (born 1538), a Flemish engraver, established himself at Cologne about the year 1577, ranked among the Little Masters; Nicolaes de Bruyn (1570-1656), the son of Abraham De Bruyn.Daniel Brevint or Brevin (1616-1695), born in Saint John, Jersey, Channel Islands, became Dean of...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bruyan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Bruyan familyFor political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Bruyan surname or a spelling variation of the name include: William and Thomas Brewin who landed in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1840; Obadiah Bruen landed in Massachusetts in 1640; Patrick Bruen landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1838.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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