The ancient Dalriadan-Scottish name Birsbain is a
nickname for a person who had sustained a broken bone. This surname derived from the Old French word,
briser, which means
to break, and the Old English word,
bàn, which means
bone. This was also a
nickname, given to a person who was often involved in fights, which resulted in the breaking of bones. Members of the Birsbain family were found in the county of
Renfrew (now part of the Strathclyde region), in
Scotland, where the family can trace its origin to shortly after the
Norman Conquest, in 1066.
Early Origins of the Birsbain family
The surname Birsbain was first found in
Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of
Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of
Renfrew, East
Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern
Scotland. Probably the first of the name in
Scotland was William Brisbone, whose name appears on a list of archers sent from Berwick to
Roxburgh in 1298. Thomas Brisbane or de Birsbane had a charter in
Aberdeenshire from Robert I.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Early History of the Birsbain family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birsbain research.
Another 151 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1332 and 1706 are included under the topic Early Birsbain History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Birsbain Spelling Variations
Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Birsbain has appeared in various documents spelled Brisbane, Brisbine, Birsbain, Birsbaine, Brisblane, Birsben, Brisbin, Birsban and many more.
Early Notables of the Birsbain family (pre 1700)
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Birsbain Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Birsbain family to the New World and Oceana
Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American
War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through
Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Margaret Brisben arrived in Maryland in 1664; John Brisban arrived in New York in 1819; Mrs. Brisbane with two children who landed in New Orleans in 1822..
The Birsbain Motto
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Certamine summo
Motto Translation: In the battle's height.