Brightment History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Brightment

The history of the Brightment name began with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from the baptismal name Brichtman. As the naming tradition grew in Europe baptismal names began to be introduced in many countries. Baptismal names were sometimes given in honor of Christian saints and other biblical figures. There are very few Christian countries in Europe that did not adopt surnames from these religious figures.

Early Origins of the Brightment family

Early History of the Brightment family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brightment research. Another 218 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1349, 1369, 1377, 1501, 1562, 1576, 1584, 1607, 1753 and 1755 are included under the topic Early Brightment History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brightment Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Brightment family name include Brightman, Briteman, Brihtman, Bryteman, Brihtmanus and many more.

Early Notables of the Brightment family

Thomas Brightman (1562-1607), English clergyman and biblical scholar. Born at Nottingham, he was admitted a pensioner at Queens' College, Cambridge, in 1576, and later became fellow in 1584. "His desire was to die a sudden death. Riding on a coach with Sir John Osborne, and reading a book (for he would lose...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brightment Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brightment family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Brightment surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Henry Brightman who sailed to Virginia in 1637.