Contents [hide]

Brewster History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Brewster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Brewster

What does the name Brewster mean?

In the Scotland of ancient times, Brewster was a name for a brewster or brewer. Brewster is an occupational name, given to someone who held the occupation of a brewer of ale. The inclusion of the feminine suffix -ster, indicates that this was originally a woman's occupation. Members of the Brewster family were originally found in Lanarkshire, where the family can trace its origin to shortly after the Norman Conquest, in 1066.

Early Origins of the Brewster family

The surname Brewster was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow. The Scord of Brouster is one of the earliest Neolithic farm sites in Shetland, Scotland dating back to 2220 BC. Some of the earliest records of the family include: Nicholaus, braciator regis (i.e. the king's brewer), was present at the perambulation of lands in 1219; Johannes the 'braciator' was one of the 'native men' of the Abbey of Dunfermline in the thirteenth century; and Thomas le Breuester of the forest of Passeley in the county of Lanark rendered homage in 1296. 1

Early History of the Brewster family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brewster research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1379, 1382, 1480, 1560, 1599, 1620, 1623, 1644, 1645, 1653, 1656, 1659, 1663, 1671, 1674, 1698 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Brewster History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brewster Spelling Variations

Medieval spelling was at best an intuitive process, and translation between Gaelic and English was no more effective. These factors caused an enormous number of spelling variations in Dalriadan names. In fact, it was not uncommon to see a father and son who spelled their name differently. Over the years, Brewster has been spelled Brewster, Broster, Brouster, Brewester, Brostar and many more.

Early Notables of the Brewster family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Robert Brewster (1599-1663), an English politician and officer who sat in the House of Commons between 1645 and 1659, he was a general in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War
Francis Brewster (1623- 1671), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1653 and 1656

Brewster Ranking

In the United States, the name Brewster is the 1,386^th most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Brewster family to Ireland

Some of the Brewster family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brewster migration to the United States +

The hardy Scots who made the crossing settled all along the east coast of North America and in the great west that was just then opening up. At the time of the American War of Independence, many United Empire Loyalists moved north from the American colonies to Canada. Scottish national heritage became better known in North America in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic events. An examination of immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Brewster arrived in North America very early:

Brewster Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Brewster (c.1566-1644) who arrived on the "Mayflower" and settled in Plymouth in 1620, where he was the religious leader of the Plymouth Colony
Love Brewster, (1611-1650), who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 aboard the ship "Mayflower" 3
Wrestling Brewster, (b. 1614), who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 aboard the ship "Mayflower" 3
Mrs. Mary Brewster, (1569-1627), who arrived in Plymouth in 1620 aboard the ship "Mayflower" 4
Mary Brewster, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brewster Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Martha Brewster, who landed in Virginia in 1701 3

Brewster Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Brewster, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1837 3
Samuel Brewster, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1837 3
James Brewster, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 3
Thomas Brewster, who arrived in Mississippi in 1845 3
Tobias Aarum Brewster, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brewster migration to Australia +

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

Brewster Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Charles Brewster, (b. 1820), aged 20, English labourer who was convicted in Suffolk, England for 10 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Eden" on 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1886 5
Mr. James Brewster, (b. 1817), aged 24, Irish gardener from County Tyrone, Ireland departing on 8th July 1841 from Greenock, Scotland aboard the ship "New York Packet" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 23rd October 1841 6
Mr. Thomas Brewster, (b. 1828), aged 20, English farmer who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Eden" on 30th September 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island), he died in 1912 7
William Brewster, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "British Sovereign" in 1850 8
Philip Brewster, English Convict from Cambridge, who was transported aboard the "Aboukir" on December 24, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brewster 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:

Brewster Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

C Brewster, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship New York Packet
Charles Brewster, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843
William Brewster, aged 21, a farm servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Woodlark" in 1874
William Brewster, aged 55, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876
C. Brewster, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1880 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Brewster (post 1700) +

William K. "Bill" Brewster (1941-2022), American pharmacist and Democratic politician who served three terms as a U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma from 1991 to 1997
Kingman Brewster Jr. (1919-1988), American educator and public official, professor of law at Harvard (1950-60), president of Yale (1963-77), and U.S. ambassador to Great Britain (1977-1981)
Joe Paul Brewster (1935-2021), American head football coach at Austin Peay State University from 1988 to 1989
Ralph Owen Brewster (1888-1961), American politician, 54th Governor of Maine (1925-1929), United States Senator from Maine (1941-1952)
Paget Valerie Brewster (b. 1969), American actress, best known role as Kathy on NBC's Friends
Jordana Brewster (b. 1980), Brazilian-born, American Teen Choice Award winning actress
John Brewster Jr. (1766-1854), American deaf portrait painter
Janet Huntington Brewster (1910-1998), American philanthropist, writer and radio broadcaster, wife of Edward R. Murrow
Martha Wadsworth Brewster (1710-1757), American poet and writer
David Clark Brewster (b. 1939), American journalist and the founder, editor and publisher of the Seattle Weekly
... (Another 81 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Brewster family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. George H. Brewster (d. 1912), aged 48, English Bedroom Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 11

SS Alcoa Puritan

F.H. Brewster, American Chief Engineer from New Orleans, Louisiana, who was working aboard the SS Alcoa Puritan (1942) traveling from Port of Spain, Trinidad to Mobile, Alabama when it was torpedoed by U-boat U-507; he survived the sinking 12

Sources +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5316/4_4782/New%20York%20Packet_23%20Oct%201841/4_478200095.jpg&No=196
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The barque BRITISH SOVEREIGN 1850, 521 tons. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850BritishSovereign.htm
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 18) Aboukir voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island. [These convicts appear to have all landed in Van Diemen's Land], Australia in 1851 with 280 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/aboukir/1851
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Alcoa_Puritan_(1941) - (Retrieved 2018, February 8th)