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| Origins Available: |
| | Ireland |
Many variations of the name Brazeal have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as Ó Breasail, possibly from the word bres, which means strife. 1
The surname Brazeal was first found in County Armagh (Irish: Ard Mhacha) located in the province of Ulster in present day Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times. They were descended from Fiachrach Casan, the progenitor of the Clann Brassil, he was the son of King Colla da Crioch, one of Ireland's greatest kings, who was banished to the Hebrides in 327 A.D. after losing his fight for the High Kingship for all Ireland. Colla da Crioch returned to Ireland in 357. 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brazeal research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brazeal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Names from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name Brazeal revealed many variations, including Brassil, Brassell, Brassilagh, Breasal, Brazil, Brazell, Braslan and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Brazeal Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Brazeal is the 14,392nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3
The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute due to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United States and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the Brazeal family relocated to North American shores quite early: Daniel Brassell who arrived in New York State in 1756; Patrick Brazell arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1838; Thomas Breslin settled in Virginia in 1765.