Brand History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The origins of the name Brand are with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from the common Old English personal name, Brand, or the Old Norse name, Brandr. The word brand comes from the Germanic word brand, which means sword. This surname was found in Lincolnshire, where the family can trace its origin to shortly after the Norman Conquest. "As a personal name it occurs in the genealogy of the Northumbrian kings from Woden. It was a very common old Scandinavian name, and it is still used in Iceland. " 1
"The name Brand in England is usually taken to be of Norse origin, but it may be noted that as early as 1046 we find Bransbury, Hants, as Brandesburh, while Branston, Staffs, is Brantestun, in a charter (Birch, Cart. Saxonicum, 978) dated 956." 2
Another source noted that "Walter Brandus held lands by knight service in the Viscounty of Caen 1165 and William Brant had estates Norfolk 1086. (Domesday Book)" 3 4
Early Origins of the Brand family
The surname Brand was first found in Lincolnshire where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: William Brand, or Brant; and Walter Brand, or Brant. The same rolls also listed John Brand, Oxfordshire; Robert Brand, Oxfordshire; and Wymer Brant, Norfolk. 5
Further to the north in Scotland, early records there revealed "Giliane Brand held land in Irvine, 1323. Thomas Brand was burgess of Edinburgh in 1512, and the name was common there in the seventeenth century." 2
Early History of the Brand family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brand research. Another 253 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1100, 1150, 1506, 1591, 1605, 1626, 1631, 1635, 1660, 1662, 1663, 1668, 1674, 1685, 1691, 1700 and 1738 are included under the topic Early Brand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Brand Spelling Variations
The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Brand has been spelled many different ways, including Brand, Brande, Brands, Brander, Brant, Branter and others.
Early Notables of the Brand family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- Joseph Brand (1605-1674), an English merchant, landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660 and Sheriff of Suffolk from 1662 to 1663; and Thomas Brand (1635-1691), an English nonco...
- John Brand (1668?-1738), was a Scottish minister of the church of Scotland, author of 'A Brief Description of Orkney,' and was educated at the University of Edinburgh. 6
- Isabella Brant or Brandt (1591-1626) was the first wife of the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, who painted several portraits of her
Brand World Ranking
In the United States, the name Brand is the 1,954th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 7 However, in France, the name Brand is ranked the 2,158th most popular surname with an estimated 2,952 people with that name. 8 And in Australia, the name Brand is the 859th popular surname with an estimated 4,606 people with that name. 9 Netherlands ranks Brand as 190th with 6,410 people. 10 South Africa ranks Brand as 590th with 11,729 people. 11
Brand migration to the United States +
Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Brands to arrive in North America:
Brand Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Benjamin Brandm from Suffolk, who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, settled in Boston
- Thomas Brand, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 12
- William Brand, aged 40, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1656 12
- Hen Brand, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 12
- John Brand, who settled in Virginia in 1670
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Brand Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Koenraet Brand, who landed in New York in 1709 12
- Eliza Brand, who landed in Virginia in 1714 12
- Jane Brand, who landed in Virginia in 1715 12
- Abraham Brand, who landed in Virginia in 1722 12
- Chr Brand, who arrived in America in 1731 12
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Brand Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Dietr Brand, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 12
- Karl Joseph Brand, who landed in America in 1844 12
- M Franziska Brand, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1845 12
- Mr. Herman Brand, aged 46, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Matador", he died in 1847
- Rudolph Brand, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 12
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Brand migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Brand Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Barbara, Sophia and Jacob Brand all of whom, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
- Barbara Brand, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
- Jacob Brand, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
- Sophia Brand, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Brand migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Brand Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Mark Brand, British convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "England" on 6th June 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
- William Brand, aged 43, a shepherd, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Amazon" 14
- William Brand, aged 37, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" 15
- Ebenezer Brand, aged 26, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" 15
Brand migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Brand Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mr. James Brand, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mariner" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd June 1859 16
- Mr. David Brand, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 14th October 1860 16
- Henry James Brand, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waikato" in 1874
- Mary A. Brand, aged 20, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waikato" in 1874
- George Brand, aged 17, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hudson" in 1879
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Brand (post 1700) +
- Oscar Brand (1920-2016), Canadian-born American folk singer-songwriter and author
- Charles Hillyer Brand (1861-1933), American lawyer, judge, politician, U.S. Representative from Georgia
- Neville Brand (1920-1992), American soldier and film actor
- Leon Brand (b. 1933), American architect
- Vance Devoe Brand MR. (b. 1931), former NASA Astronaut with 746 hours in space 17
- George G. Brand, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Kentucky State Senate 1st District, 1960-67 18
- Franklin Marion Brand (1880-1963), American Republican politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Monongalia County, 1919-20, 1943-44; Defeated, 1940, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1954 18
- Ed E. Brand, American politician, Candidate for Michigan State Senate 19th District, 1918 18
- Charles Hillyer Brand (1861-1933), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Georgia State Senate, 1894-95; Superior Court Judge in Georgia, 1906-17; U.S. Representative from Georgia, 1917-33 18
- Charles Brand (1871-1966), American Republican politician, Member of Ohio State Senate, 1921-22; U.S. Representative from Ohio 7th District, 1923-33 18
- ... (Another 30 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Brand family +
Bismarck
- Johann Brand (1917-1941), German Bootsmannsmaaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 19
- Mr. William H Brand (b. 1919), English Corporal serving for the Royal Marine from Southsea, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 20
Monongah Mine
- Mr. Adolph Brand (b. 1883), Slavic coal miner who was in mine 6 at the Monongah mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 21
Suggested Readings for the name Brand +
- Brandt Family History, 1822-1977 by Dolores J. Colletti.
- Some Descendants of William Coulston, Line of Levi Coulson (to 1915), Some Descendants of Ludwig Brandt, Line of John Brandt by Samuel B. Mayo.
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
- "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
- "Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
- 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 28th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
- South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) AMAZON 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/amazon1852.shtml
- South Australian Register Wednesday 15th March 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Pestonjee Bomanjee 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/hyderabad1854.shtml
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Vance Brand. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/brand.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
- H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
- Monongah Mining Disaster retrieved on 8th August 2021. (Retrieved fromhttps://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/monongah.htm).