Contents [hide]

Brian History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Brian History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland-Alt
Ireland

The ancient surname Brian came from Brian a "Celtic personal name of great antiquity, implying originally, regulus, or chieftain." 1

Early Origins of the Brian family

The surname Brian was first found in Denbigh, a market town in Denbighshire, North Wales. "The great baronial house of Bryan became extinct in the male line at the death in 1390 of Guy de Bryan, Baron Bryan who served as standard bearer to Edward III in the celebrated fight with the French at Calais. " 2

Another source claims the name came from three locations: Tor-Bryan in Devon; Langheren, in South Wales, and at Woodford Castle, county Dorset. "Of this family was the chivalrous Sir Guy Bryan, Lord Bryan, K.G. temp. Edward III., and standard bearer at the celebrated battle of Calais. " 1

This source continues "The Christian name Guy was frequent in the family." Yet another source claims a similar story with a different surname spelling. In this case, this source is referring to the parish of Slapton in Devon. "This place belonged to Sir Guy de Brien, Knt., standardbearer to Edward III., whom he attended at the battle of Calais in 1349, on which occasion, having greatly distinguished himself by his intrepidity, he was rewarded with a grant of 200 marks per annum, payable out of the exchequer during his life. Sir Guy founded a chantry in the church for a rector and four priests, and endowed it with £10 per annum in land, and with the advowson of the living." 3

"Slapton [Devon] belonged to the ancient family of De Brian as early as the reign of Henry II., and descended to the Percy Earls of Northumberland, as the representative of Sir Guy de Brian the younger, through the sole heiress. Guy de Brian, one of the first Knights of the Garter, founded a collegiate chantry at Slapton in 1373, and the remains of his house are known as Poole Priory." 4

"Tor Brian [in Devon] is linked with several names of note, the most famous of its early lords being one of the foremost of Devon's worthies. Sir Guy de Brian, standard-bearer to Edward III., did such service at Calais that he had a grant of 200 marks yearly out of the Exchequer. In 1354 he went to Rome with Henry, Duke of Lancaster, to procure a ratification of the league between England and France from the Pope. In 1370 he again served in France, and in the same year illustrated his many-sided character still further by becoming Admiral of the king's fleet. Edward showed his esteem for Sir Guy by choosing him one of the Knights of the Garter. De Brian served Richard II. with equal success in France and in Ireland, by land and by sea, in the camp and in the court. He founded and endowed a collegiate church in his manor of Slapton, already noted, and died at an advanced age in 1391, leaving two granddaughters only. " 4

Early History of the Brian family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brian research. Another 258 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1150, 1296, 1471, 1490, 1500, 1518, 1549, 1621, 1662, 1668, 1676, 1694, 1699 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Brian History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brian Spelling Variations

Since the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Bryan, Bryant, Brian, Breine, Brine, Bryand, Briand, Briant, Bryane and many more.

Early Notables of the Brian family

Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was

Sir Thomas Bryan KS KB (died 1500), a British justice, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas (1471-1500); and his son, Sir Thomas Bryan (died 1518) was an English courtier during the reign of Henry VIII...
Albertus Bryne (Bryan) (Brian) (ca. 1621-1668), was an English organist and composer and was educated by John Tomkins, organist of St. Paul's

Brian Ranking

In the United States, the name Brian is the 6,239^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Brian family to Ireland

Some of the Brian family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brian migration to the United States +

Early immigration records have shown some of the first of the name Brian to arrive on North American shores were:

Brian Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Brian, who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610. 6
Robert Brian, aged 27, who landed in Virginia in 1635 6
Walter Brian, who arrived in Maryland in 1655 6
Margaret Brian, who landed in Maryland in 1665 6

Brian Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Darby Brian, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 6
Alain Brian, aged 22, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 6
Timothy Brian, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 6
Archibald Brian, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1772 6
Archd Brian, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1773 6

Brian Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Brian, aged 32, who arrived in New York in 1812 6
John Brian, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1843 6
Edmund Brian, who arrived in Maryland in 1847 6
James Brian, who arrived in Mississippi in 1847 6
Catherine Brian, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1854 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brian migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brian Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Brian, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1827
Eleanor Brian, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1827

Brian migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Brian Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Caroline Brian who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. Patrick Brian, (Duncan, Campbell), (b. 1807), aged 28, Scottish solider born in Perth, Scotland who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Blackwell" on 29th September 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
John Brian, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1846 9
Miss Sarah Brian who was convicted in Manchester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 4th September 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Judy Brian, aged 16, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Elgin" 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Brian (post 1700) +

Frank Sands Brian (1923-2017), American professional basketball player
Walter Leslie Brian (1918-2004), nicknamed "Salty Brine", an American well-known broadcaster in Rhode Island
Morgan Paige Brian (b. 1993), American soccer player for the Houston Dash
Mary Brian (1906-2002), born Louise Byrdie Dantzler, an American actress and movie star, nicknamed "The Sweetest Girl in Pictures," awarded a Star on the Walk of Fame
Havergal Brian (1876-1972), born William Brian, an English composer and writer
Donald Brian (1877-1948), Newfoundland actor, Broadway dancer and singer who taught Frank Sinatra to dance and entertained American troops in England with Bob Hope
Denis Brian (b. 1923), Welsh journalist and author, best known for his 1996 biography Einstein: a life
Prime Minister Martin Brian Mulroney PC, CC, GOQ, (1939-2024), Canadian politician and businessman, 18th Prime Minister of Canada from 1984-1993, Leader of the Opposition (1983-1984), Member of Parliament for Central Nova (1983-1984)
Merrick Brian Garland (b. 1952), American lawyer, jurist, 86th United States Attorney General
Peter Brian Gabriel (b. 1950), British singer, musician, and songwriter, original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis, perhaps best known for his solo "Solsbury Hill," recipient of numerous awards including six Grammy Awards, thirteen MTV Video Music Awards, the first Pioneer Award at the BT Digital Music Awards, the Q magazine Lifetime Achievement, the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Polar Music Prize and the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize laureates in 2006, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blackwell
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Hooghly.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ELGIN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Elgin.htm