Show ContentsBrine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Brine

What does the name Brine mean?

The history of the name Brine began when it was derived from Brian a "Celtic personal name of great antiquity, implying originally, regulus, or chieftain." 1

Early Origins of the Brine family

The surname Brine 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 Brine family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brine 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 Brine History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brine Spelling Variations

There are many spelling variations of Breton surnames, because the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since 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, it was common to find references to one individual with many different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, 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 Brine 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; Sir Francis Bryan (ca. 1490-1549), English nobleman, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland; John Bryan, D.D...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brine Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brine family to Ireland

Some of the Brine 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.


Brine migration to the United States +

An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Brine arrived in North America very early:

Brine Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Brine, who landed in New York in 1837 5
  • John Brine, who landed in Arkansas in 1872 5
  • Edward Brine, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1875 5
Brine Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Chas. J. Brine, aged 40, who landed in America from Halifax, in 1905
  • Frederick C. Brine, aged 29, who settled in America from Bristol, in 1906
  • Geo. Henry Brine, aged 36, who landed in America from Southampton, England, in 1907
  • Frank Brine, aged 55, who immigrated to the United States from England, in 1907
  • Archibald Brine, aged 11, who immigrated to the United States from England, in 1907
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brine migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brine Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Daniel Brine, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Brine migration to Australia +

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

Brine Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Brine, (b. 1783), aged 17, British Convict who was convicted in Kent, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Mr. Francis Brine, English convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Sally Brine, aged 21, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Europa" 8
  • Mr. William Brine, English convict who was convicted in Taunton, Somerset, England for 6 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th March 1863, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Brine (post 1700) +

  • John Brine (1703-1765), English Particular Baptist minister, born at Kettering in 1703. "owing to the poverty of his parents he had scarcely any school education, and when a mere lad was set to work in the staple manufactory of his native town 10
  • Beverly Mae Brine (b. 1961), Canadian former politician who represented Albert in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1991 to 1994 and then from 1994 to 1995
  • David Brine (b. 1985), Canadian professional ice hockey center
  • Stephen Charles "Steve" Brine (b. 1974), British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament
  • David Brine Pritchard (1919-2005), British chess writer and indoor games consultant


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
  5. 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)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  8. South Australian Register Monday 14th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Europa 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/europa1855.shtml
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
  10. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019


Houseofnames.com on Facebook