Brights History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Brights

The name Brights is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in the village of Bright, in Cheshire. The name could have also been a nickname for someone who was bright or fair, or it could have been from the Old English word beorht which means bright. "Beorht was the name of a Northum­brian ealdorman who was slain by the Picts, A.D. 699. " 1

The Anglo Saxon word beort, means brilliant, illustrious. 2

Early Origins of the Brights family

Early History of the Brights family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brights research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1551, 1588, 1615, 1619, 1643, 1654, 1655, 1688 and 1882 are included under the topic Early Brights History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brights Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Brights has been spelled many different ways, including Bright, Brite and others.

Early Notables of the Brights family

Timothie Bright, M.D. (1551?-1615), an early British physician and clergyman, the inventor of modern shorthand. He is thought to have been born near Sheffield. "The art of writing by signs originated among the Greeks. Few specimens of Greek shorthand are extant, and little is known on the subject. From the Greeks the knowledge of the art passed to the Romans, among whom it was introduced by Cicero, who devised many characters, which were termed notæ Tironianæ, from Cicero's freedman Tiro, a great proficient in the art. In the darkness which overwhelmed the world on the fall of the Roman Empire the...
Another 145 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brights Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brights family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Brightss to arrive in North America: Francis Bright who came to Salem, Massachusetts in 1629; Henry Bright settled in New England in 1630; John Bright settled in Virginia in 1651; Robert Bright arrived in Virginia in 1653.