Brink History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
Germany
Ireland

The old Gaelic name used by the Brink family in Ireland was Ó Briain, which means descendant of Brian.

Early Origins of the Brink family

The surname Brink was first found in Thomond, a territory comprised of most of County Clare with adjacent parts of counties Limerick and Tipperary. Prior to the 10th century, the sept was a Dalcassian Clan known as the Ui Toirdealbhaigh and achieved prominence with the rise of their eponymous ancestor, Brian Boru (941-1014), to the High Kingship of Ireland. Brian Boru, by far the most outstanding figure of this family, is widely acknowledged as the greatest of all the ancient Kings of Ireland and is best remembered for driving the Norsemen out of Ireland at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.

Early History of the Brink family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brink research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1369, 1400, 1551, 1577, 1600, 1614, 1640, 1642, 1651, 1663, 1674, 1678, 1690, 1692, 1699, 1714, 1717 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Brink History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brink Spelling Variations

The scribes who created documents long before either the Gaelic or English language resembled their standardized versions of today recorded words as they sounded. Consequently, in the Middle Ages the names of many people were recorded under different spellings each time they were written down. Research on the Brink family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including O'Brien, OBrine, O'Brion, O'Bryan, O'Bryen, McBrien, McBrine, Brian, Briand, Briant, Brine, Brines, Briens and many more.

Early Notables of the Brink family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Brian Sreamhach MacMathghamhna O'Brien, king of the Irish region of Thomond (1369-1400); Daniel O'Brien (1577-1663), member of the Supreme Council of Catholic Confederates; Daniel O'Brien (d. 1690), founder of the Irish Brigade known as Clare's Dragoons; Murrough McDermod O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin and 6th Baron Inchiquin (1614-1674); Henry O'Brien, Lord Ibrackan or Lord...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brink Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brink World Ranking

In the United States, the name Brink is the 2,853^rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in Netherlands, the name Brink is ranked the 174^th most popular surname with an estimated 6,770 people with that name. 2 And in South Africa, the name Brink is the 577^th popular surname with an estimated 11,957 people with that name. 3

Brink migration to the United States +

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name Brink:

Brink Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Lambert Huybertse Brink, who landed in New Netherland(s) in 1620-1664 4
Lambert Huybense Brink, who arrived in New Netherland(s) in 1620-1664 4
Lambert Huvbertse Brink, who arrived in New Netherlands between the years 1620-1664

Brink Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Brink, who settled in Maryland in 1719
Peter Brink, who arrived in New York in 1754
Peter Brink, who landed in New York, NY in 1754 4

Brink Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jan Van Brink, who arrived at Philadelphia in 1802
Harman Henry Brink, who arrived in New York in 1838
Jos Martin Brink, who arrived in America in 1840 4
Roelof Brink, aged 25, who landed in New York, NY in 1846 4
Mrs. Marie Brink, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1847 aboard the ship "Franziska"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brink Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Axel Brink, who landed in Chile in 1906 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Brink (post 1700) +

Perry Brink (1830-1874), American founder of the Brinks security company on May 5, 1859 in Chicago, Illinois
Brigadier-General Francis Gerard Brink (1893-1952), American Chief of Operations, South-East Asia Command (1944-1945) 5
Simon Brink, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Woodstock, Illinois, 1891-96 6
Robert H. Brink, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 2008; Member of Virginia State House of Delegates 48th District; Elected 2011 6
John L. Brink, American politician, Village President of River Forest, Illinois, 1935-42 6
Mrs. John Brink, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 1960 6
George M. Brink, American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Ulster County 1st District, 1891-92; Postmaster at Kingston, New York, 1898-1902 6
Edward H. Brink, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1916 6
Earl R. Brink, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Broome County 2nd District, 1929, 1931 6
Ben Brink, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 14th District, 1994, 1996 6
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Brink Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Lamh laidir an Uachtar
Motto Translation: The strong hand from above.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
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)
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) Francis Brink. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Brink/Francis_Gerard/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html