Brant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The origins of the name Brant are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It 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 Brant family
The surname Brant 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 Brant family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brant 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 Brant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Brant Spelling Variations
Sound 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 Brant family name include Brand, Brande, Brands, Brander, Brant, Branter and others.
Early Notables of the Brant family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- Isabella Brant or Brandt (1591-1626) was the first wife of the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, who painted several portraits of her
Brant Ranking
In the United States, the name Brant is the 4,234th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6
Brant migration to the United States +
For 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 Brant surname or a spelling variation of the name include:
Brant Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Henry Brant, who arrived in Maryland in 1662 7
Brant Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Hans Wilhelm Brant, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 7
- Johannis Brant, aged 16, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 7
- William Brant, aged 50, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 7
- Christian Brant, who landed in New York in 1784 7
- Bernard Brant, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1796 7
Brant Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Joseph Brant, who arrived in New York in 1828 7
- William Brant, who arrived in Maryland in 1838 7
- W Brant, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
- I Brant, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
- D Brant, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Brant migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Brant Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Lt. John Brant U.E. who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Lincoln County, Ontario c. 1783 8
- Mr. John Brant U.E. who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Lincoln County, Ontario c. 1783 he served as part of Butler's Rangers Regiment 8
- Capt. Joseph Brant U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 8
- Mr. Joseph Brant U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 8
- Mr. Joseph Thayendanegea Brant U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 8
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Brant Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Henry, Klaus and Peter Brant all of whom, who arrived in Manitoba in 1874
- Klaus Brant, who landed in Manitoba in 1874
- Peter Brant, who arrived in Manitoba in 1874
- Henry Brant, who arrived in Manitoba in 1874
Brant migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Brant Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Thomas Brant, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia
Brant 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:
Brant Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- George Brant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashmore" in 1882
- Annie Brant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashmore" in 1882
- Eliza J. Brant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashmore" in 1882
- William H. Brant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashmore" in 1882
- Edith E. Brant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashmore" in 1882
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Brant 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.
9Brant Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
- Jo Brant, aged 24, who arrived in St Christopher in 1635 7
Contemporary Notables of the name Brant (post 1700) +
- Tim Brant (b. 1949), retired American sportscaster
- Scott Brant (b. 1968), nicknamed "The Dominator", an American professional speedway rider
- Peter Mark Brant Sr. (b. 1947), American industrialist and art collector
- Monica Brant (b. 1970), American IFBB professional figure competitor and a former fitness competitor, Ms. Fitness Olympia (1988)
- Marshall Lee Brant (b. 1955), American former Major League Baseball player. Brant played for the New York Yankees in 1980 and the Oakland Athletics in 1983
- Jonathan Edward "Jon" Brant (b. 1955), American musician and business owner, best known as the bass player for the band Cheap Trick from 1982 to 1987
- Henry Dreyfuss Brant (1913-2008), Canadian-born American composer from Montreal
- Everett Hall Brant (1885-1954), American politician, North Dakota Public Service Commissioner (1951-1954)
- Dave Brant, American former Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) special agent and executive
- Aaron Brant (b. 1984), former American football offensive tackle for the Chicago Bears in 2007
- ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Suggested Readings for the name Brant +
- The Three Faces of Molly Brant by Earle S. Thomas.
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)
- "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)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies