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Brand History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Brand History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany-Alt
Germany
Israel

Etymology of Brand

What does the name Brand mean?

The medieval German duchy of Bavaria is the homeland of the Brand family. Two of the common types of family name found in medieval Bavaria were patronymic surnames, those derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which were derived from the mother's given name. The family name Brand is a patronymic surname that comes from the Germanic personal name Brando, a short form of the various compound personal names containing the element brand, which means sword or fire.

The name may also be a short-form of an old Germanic name such as Brandhart ("fire-strong"), Brandoalt ("fire-powerful", or Hildebrand ("sword-fire"). In many cases, the surname Brand also derives from a first name, which is shortened from first names such as Hildebrand, Brandhart or Brandold. Brand was a popular short form of Hildebrand in N Germany. 1

Alternatively, the name could have referred to a former resident of one of the multiple localities named Brand. There are thirty-nine villages and towns with the name of Brand in the southern German province of Bavaria alone. A settlement was named Brand usually if it came to be built in an area which had been cleared by fire.

Early Origins of the Brand family

The surname Brand was first found in Bavaria, where the family came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. Some of the first records of this name or one of its variants is Ulrich Brant who was a cloth-maker in 1276 and Waltherus de Brant, who was a farmer zu Regensdorf in 1280.

A shopkeeper Brand was listed in Stettin in 1351 and his sons Brand and Brand. As a forename, Brand Krekenoghe was found in Hanover in 1407. 1

Early History of the Brand family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brand research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1457, 1517, 1521, 1570, 1626, 1685, 1735, 1778 and 1799 are included under the topic Early Brand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brand Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Brand include Brand, Brande, Brandde, Brannde, Brandt, Brandte, Brandtes, Brandtte, Brant, Brante, Brend, Brende, Brendde, Brent, Brendt, Braend, Braende, Braendde, Braennde, Braent, Braendt, Brandes, Brandis and many more.

Early Notables of the Brand family

Prominent among members of the name Brand in this period include

Jobst Brandt (1517-1570), German composer
Gerard Brandt (1626-1685), a Dutch preacher, playwright, poet, church historian, biographer and naval historian

Brand World Ranking

In the United States, the name Brand is the 1,954^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Brand is ranked the 2,158^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,952 people with that name. 3 And in Australia, the name Brand is the 859^th popular surname with an estimated 4,606 people with that name. 4 Netherlands ranks Brand as 190^th with 6,410 people. 5 South Africa ranks Brand as 590^th with 11,729 people. 6

Brand migration to the United States +

Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Brand or a variant listed above:

Brand Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Benjamin Brandm from Suffolk, who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, settled in Boston
Thomas Brand, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 7
William Brand, aged 40, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1656 7
Hen Brand, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 7
John Brand, who settled in Virginia in 1670
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brand Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Koenraet Brand, who landed in New York in 1709 7
Eliza Brand, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
Jane Brand, who landed in Virginia in 1715 7
Abraham Brand, who landed in Virginia in 1722 7
Chr Brand, who arrived in America in 1731 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brand Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Dietr Brand, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 7
Karl Joseph Brand, who landed in America in 1844 7
M Franziska Brand, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1845 7
Mr. Herman Brand, aged 46, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Matador", he died in 1847
Rudolph Brand, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brand migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brand Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Barbara, Sophia and Jacob Brand all of whom, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Barbara Brand, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Jacob Brand, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Sophia Brand, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757

Brand migration to Australia +

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

Brand Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Mark Brand, British convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "England" on 6th June 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
William Brand, aged 43, a shepherd, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Amazon" 9
William Brand, aged 37, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" 10
Ebenezer Brand, aged 26, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" 10

Brand migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Brand Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Brand, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mariner" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd June 1859 11
Mr. David Brand, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 14th October 1860 11
Henry James Brand, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waikato" in 1874
Mary A. Brand, aged 20, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waikato" in 1874
George Brand, aged 17, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hudson" in 1879
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Brand (post 1700) +

Oscar Brand (1920-2016), Canadian-born American folk singer-songwriter and author
Charles Hillyer Brand (1861-1933), American lawyer, judge, politician, U.S. Representative from Georgia
Neville Brand (1920-1992), American soldier and film actor
Leon Brand (b. 1933), American architect
Vance Devoe Brand MR. (b. 1931), former NASA Astronaut with 746 hours in space 12
George G. Brand, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Kentucky State Senate 1st District, 1960-67 13
Franklin Marion Brand (1880-1963), American Republican politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Monongalia County, 1919-20, 1943-44; Defeated, 1940, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1954 13
Ed E. Brand, American politician, Candidate for Michigan State Senate 19th District, 1918 13
Charles Hillyer Brand (1861-1933), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Georgia State Senate, 1894-95; Superior Court Judge in Georgia, 1906-17; U.S. Representative from Georgia, 1917-33 13
Charles Brand (1871-1966), American Republican politician, Member of Ohio State Senate, 1921-22; U.S. Representative from Ohio 7th District, 1923-33 13
... (Another 30 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Brand family +

Bismarck

Johann Brand (1917-1941), German Bootsmannsmaaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 14

HMS Hood

Mr. William H Brand (b. 1919), English Corporal serving for the Royal Marine from Southsea, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 15

Monongah Mine

Mr. Adolph Brand (b. 1883), Slavic coal miner who was in mine 6 at the Monongah Mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 16

Citations +

Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) AMAZON 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/amazon1852.shtml
South Australian Register Wednesday 15th March 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Pestonjee Bomanjee 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/hyderabad1854.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Vance Brand. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/brand.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Monongah Mining Disaster retrieved on 8th August 2021. (Retrieved fromhttps://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/monongah.htm).