| {{ad}} |
|
|
|
| Origins Available: |
| | Germany |
The bountiful region surrounding the Rhine river is the birthplace of the name Brielle. A single name was, at one time, all that people needed. However, increasing ease of travel and the burgeoning populations forced people to adopt a hereditary surname to set themselves apart from others. A common form of surname created in the Rhineland was the local name. Originally denoting the proprietorship of the village or estate, the German preposition von, which means from or of, was used with local names. The surname Brielle was given to someone who lived in the village of Briel, in the Rhineland. This place-name originated in the Dutch province of Brielle, and it referred to someone who was from Briel. The German surname was based upon the German word brüel which refers to a meadow with rich soils.
The surname Brielle was first found in the lower Rhine region, where the name came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates and branches, some in foreign countries, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society. The name originates in the southern Dutch province of Brielle, and the Dutch form of the name is van der Briele, meaning "from Briel."
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brielle research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1775 is included under the topic Early Brielle 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 Brielle include Briel, Briell, Brielle, Briele, Brieler and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Brielle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from the Rhineland who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. Many of those who left the Rhineland to seek their fortunes in the prosperous and free New World settled in the major urban centers of the United States and Canada. In the United States, the settlers from the Rhineland passed through immigration centers like that of Ellis Island, most of them moving on to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, the majority of Rhinelanders settled in Ontario and the prairie provinces. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many important settlers to North America bearing the name Brielle, or one of its variants above: Hermann Briel, who came to Philadelphia in 1754; as did Martin Briel in the same year, as well as Johann Hermann Briell. Eva Briel arrived in Texas in 1846..