Brownbill Surname History

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Brownbill

The history of the name Brownbill dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from a member of the family who worked as a soldier armed with a halberd, before the advent of the military use of gunpowder in the 14th century. A brownbill was a combination of a spear and a battle-ax, approximately fourteen feet long, used by footsoldiers.

Early Origins of the Brownbill family

Early History of the Brownbill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brownbill research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1401, 1561, 1565, 1602, 1608, 1614, 1822 and 1864 are included under the topic Early Brownbill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brownbill Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Brownbill has undergone many spelling variations, including Brownbill, Brownbyll, Brownbell, Browmbell, Brombell, Brombill and many more.

Early Notables of the Brownbill family

• Thomas Robson Brownbill (1822-1864), a famous actor

Migration of the Brownbill family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Brownbill were among those contributors: a number of settlers who arrived in the New World by the 19th century.