| ![Show Contents]() Brants History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of BrantsWhat does the name Brants mean? Bavaria, Germany is the original homeland of the Brants family. Brants is a patronymic name, a type of surname that derived from the given name of the father of the original bearer. Brants 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 Brants 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 Brants familyThe surname Brants 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 Brants familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brants 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 Brants History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Brants Spelling VariationsOne 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 Brants 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 Brants familySebastian Brant (1457-1521), who was known for his long poems, such as "The Ship of Fools"; Jobst Brandt (1517-1570), German composer; Gerard Brandt (1626-1685), a Dutch preacher, playwright, poet...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brants Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Brants 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:
Brants Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Gerritje Brants, who arrived in New York in 1637 2
- Lysbeth Brants, who landed in New York in 1640 2
| Brants migration to Canada | + |
Brants Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Mr. Henry Brants U.E. who settled in Fredericksburgh, Cataraqui township, [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1783 3
- 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)
- 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
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