Contents [hide]

Brant History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Brant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany-Alt
Germany
Israel

Bavaria, Germany is the original homeland of the Brant family. Brant is a patronymic name, a type of surname that derived from the given name of the father of the original bearer. Brant was derived from the Germanic personal name Brando, a short form of the various compound personal names containing the element brand, which means sword or fire.

The name may also be a short-form of an old Germanic name such as Brandhart ("fire-strong"), Brandoalt ("fire-powerful", or Hildebrand ("sword-fire"). In many cases, the surname Brant also derives from a first name, which is shortened from first names such as Hildebrand, Brandhart or Brandold. Brand was a popular short form of Hildebrand in N Germany. 1

Alternatively, the name could have referred to a former resident of one of the multiple localities named Brand. There are thirty-nine villages and towns with the name of Brand in the southern German province of Bavaria alone. A settlement was named Brand usually if it came to be built in an area which had been cleared by fire.

Early Origins of the Brant family

The surname Brant was first found in Bavaria, where the family came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. Some of the first records of this name or one of its variants is Ulrich Brant who was a cloth-maker in 1276 and Waltherus de Brant, who was a farmer zu Regensdorf in 1280.

A shopkeeper Brand was listed in Stettin in 1351 and his sons Brand and Brand. As a forename, Brand Krekenoghe was found in Hanover in 1407. 1

Early History of the Brant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brant research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1457, 1517, 1521, 1570, 1626, 1685, 1735, 1778 and 1799 are included under the topic Early Brant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brant Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Brant include Brand, Brande, Brandde, Brannde, Brandt, Brandte, Brandtes, Brandtte, Brant, Brante, Brend, Brende, Brendde, Brent, Brendt, Braend, Braende, Braendde, Braennde, Braent, Braendt, Brandes, Brandis and many more.

Early Notables of the Brant family

Prominent among members of the name Brant in this period include

Sebastian Brant (1457-1521), who was known for his long poems, such as "The Ship of Fools"

Brant Ranking

In the United States, the name Brant is the 4,234^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2

Brant migration to the United States +

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 Bavaria who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. For many Bavarian tenant farmers, the chance to own their own land was a major incentive. So the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlement centered in Ontario and the prairie provinces. Among those of this surname listed in various historical records were:

Brant Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Brant, who arrived in Maryland in 1662 3

Brant Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hans Wilhelm Brant, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 3
Johannis Brant, aged 16, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 3
William Brant, aged 50, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 3
Christian Brant, who landed in New York in 1784 3
Bernard Brant, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1796 3

Brant Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Brant, who arrived in New York in 1828 3
William Brant, who arrived in Maryland in 1838 3
W Brant, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
I Brant, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
D Brant, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
... (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 4
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 4
Capt. Joseph Brant U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 4
Mr. Joseph Brant U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 4
Mr. Joseph Thayendanegea Brant U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 4
... (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. 5

Brant Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Jo Brant, aged 24, who arrived in St Christopher in 1635 3

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.)

Citations +

Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
"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