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| Origins Available: |
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Bavaria, one of the oldest and largest of the German states, is the birthplace of the Bratcher family. After the 12th century, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules. Names derived from occupations were particularly common in this region. Bratcher is an occupational surname for master of hunting dogs. Further research showed the name was derived from the German word bracke. The surname Bratcher was also a nickname for a person that resembled a hunting dog. Moreover, the surname Bratcher is a nickname for a boisterous person, which is derived from the German word braht, which means loud or noise.
The surname Bratcher was first found in Bavaria, where this distinguished family contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bratcher research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1637 and 1742 are included under the topic Early Bratcher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Bratcher include Brack, Bracke, Brach, Brache, Brak, Brakk, Brakke, Bracken, Brakken, Brachen, Bracker, Brakker, Bracher, Brackner, Brakkner, Brachner, Brackel, Brackell, Brachel, Brachell, Brakkel and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Bratcher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Bratcher is the 3,693rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1
Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Bratcher or a variant listed above: