Contents [hide]

Brinton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Brinton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Brinton name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Brinton was originally derived from a family having lived in the village of Brinton in the county of Norfolk. Brinton appears in the Domesday Book as belonging to the Bishop of Thetford, and having a total value of thirty pounds.

Early Origins of the Brinton family

The surname Brinton was first found in Norfolk at Brinton, a parish, in the hundred of Holt. 1 The village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Bruntuna. Literally the place name means "estate associated with a man called Bryni," from the Old English personal name + "-ing" + "tun." 2

One of the first records of the name was Thomas Brunton or Brinton (d. 1389), Bishop of Rochester, a monk of the Benedictine house at Norwich. "He is said to have studied both at Oxford and Cambridge, and is variously described as bachelor of theology and as ‘doctor decretorum’ of the former university. Having taken up his residence in Rome, he was made penitentiary of the holy see, and on 31 Jan. 1372-3 was appointed bishop of Rochester by Gregory XI, in the room of John Hertley, prior of Rochester, whose election was set aside by the Pope." 3

Early History of the Brinton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brinton research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1190, 1273 and 1585 are included under the topic Early Brinton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brinton Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Brinton include Brinton, Brinston, Brinson, Brinstone, Bryenton, Brintnell and many more.

Early Notables of the Brinton family

Distinguished members of the family include

David Brinton...

Brinton Ranking

In the United States, the name Brinton is the 9,153^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Brinton migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Brinton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Brinton who settled in Virginia in 1606 before the "Mayflower"
Thomas Brinton, who landed in New Jersey in 1675 5
William Brinton, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1684 5

Brinton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Brinton, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1864

Brinton migration to Australia +

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

Brinton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Ms. Eliza Brinton, (Nowlan, Nolan), (b. 1823), aged 26, Irish country servant who was convicted in County Laois (Queen's), Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Australasia" on 26th June 1849, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Miss. Eliza Brinton, (b. 1847), aged 2, Irish traveller who was with her month a convict, transported aboard the "Australasia" on 26th June 1849, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), listed as admitted to the Queens Orphanage in 1849 and release to mother in 1857 6
Mary Brinton, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Amazon" 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Brinton (post 1700) +

Bradford Brinton (1880-1936), American machinery manufacturer and benefactor; his collections of Western and American Indian art formed the basis of the Brinton Museum, Big Horn, Wyoming
Willard Cope Brinton (1880-1957), American consulting engineer, president of Brinton Associates, and information visualisation pioneer
Howard Haines Brinton (1884-1973), American Quaker, author, professor and director
Henry G. Brinton (b. 1960), American author and regular contributor to The Washington Post and USA Today
Edward Brinton (1924-2010), American professor of oceanography and research biologist
Ellen Starr Brinton (1886-1954), American pacifist, human rights activist and archivist
Daniel Garrison Brinton (1839-1899), American anthropologist who attempted to classify Native American languages
Clarence Crane Brinton (1898-1968), American historian, best known for his work The Anatomy of Revolution (1938)
Stephanie Brinton (b. 1988), American concert pianist
William B. Brinton, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1908, 1912; Mayor of Dixon, Illinois, 1911-15 8
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Brinton 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: Lux et Salus
Motto Translation: Light and safety.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/australasia
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) AMAZON 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/amazon1852.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html