Show ContentsBringhurst History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Bringhurst is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Leicestershire, where the name is associated with the parish of Bringhurst. One reference claims the name is derived from the Old English personal name Bryni and the word hurst, for a wooded hill. But another, claims the personal name "Bryni" is derived from "bryne" meaning "fire" or "flame." Both agree the word "hurst" or "hyrst" meant "wooded hill" from the Old English, related to Old Saxon, and "hurst" or "horst" in Old High German.

Early Origins of the Bringhurst family

The surname Bringhurst was first found in Leicestershire, where the town Bringhurst dates back to before the Norman Conquest and was given by "Ranulfe", a kinsman of King Edward the Confessor to the Abbey of Peterborough (Knight "Geoffrey de Bringhurst"). The town like the surname went through many name changes through the ages including "Bruninghurst" in 1188 and later "Bringherst", "Brinkhurst", "Bringhast", and "Bringhaste."

Early History of the Bringhurst family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bringhurst research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1614 and 1748 are included under the topic Early Bringhurst History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bringhurst 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 Bringhurst family name include Bringhurst, Bringherst, Brinkhurst, Bringhast, Bringhaste and many more.

Early Notables of the Bringhurst family

More information is included under the topic Early Bringhurst Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bringhurst migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, 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 Bringhurst surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Bringhurst Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John, Bringhurst Jr., who landed in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1744 1
Bringhurst Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Edward Bringhurst, aged 11, who immigrated to the United States, in 1895
  • Louis Bringhurst, aged 39, who landed in America, in 1895
  • Fredr. Bringhurst, aged 22, who immigrated to America, in 1896
Bringhurst Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • R. B. Bringhurst, who landed in America, in 1905
  • Mary T. Bringhurst, aged 42, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
  • Edward Bringhurst, aged 27, who landed in America, in 1911
  • William Bringhurst, aged 22, who settled in America, in 1920

Contemporary Notables of the name Bringhurst (post 1700) +

  • Robert Bringhurst (b. 1946), American-born, Canadian poet, typographer and author
  • T. H. Bringhurst, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1856 2
  • Joseph Bringhurst, American politician, Postmaster at Wilmington, Delaware, 1802-20 2


  1. 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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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