Continuing on in my series of Family Surname History, I am moving onto the Brand surname. My maternal grandmother was Marjorey Brand and the name has a long history.
Family Surname History – Brand
Brand is of German, French, and English originating from the pre-6th Century Anglo-Saxon word “brinnan” which means a flash e.g. flash of lightening.1 There are many variations of the spelling of Brand, with over 50 considered to be linked to this surname – Braund, Brandt, Brandon, Brant, Brands, Braund, Brann to name just a small selection.1,2
Distribution of Brand
Forebears states that the surname Brand 3,951st most common name in the world with approximately 138,099 people worldwide with this surname.2 South Africa is listed as the country having the greatest prevalence of this surname with 27,560 people having this surname making it the 226th most common name in the country.2 Rounding out the top 5 countries with this surname are: Germany – 26,293, United States – 23,962, England – 6,985, and Netherlands – 6,667.2
My Brand family originated from Scotland where it ranks only 17th in the world, and 684th in Scotland with 1,221 people with this surname.2 My third-great-grandfather George Brand was transported as a convict in 1855 to Western Australia and his family followed in 1859. The name in Australia ranks 8th in the world and 957th in Australia with 3,246 people having this surname.2
Meaning of the Surname Brand
Whilst it can mean flash, it can also mean a “brant”, a piece of agricultural land that has been cleared with fire.1 William Brant is the first known recording of this surname in 1066 in the Domesday Book in Norfolk.1 Many variations of the name can be found in history around the world.1
Famous Brand’s
Sir Johannes Henricus Brand (1823-1888), South African lawyer and politician.3
Sir David Brand (1912-1979) – Western Australian Premier from 1959-1971 and was my grandmother’s cousin.4
Adam Brand (born 1970) – Australian Country Music musician.5
Russell Brand (born 1975) – British actor and comedian.6
Do you have the surname Brand in your family history? Do you know where your family name originated from?
Click the below image to start a free trial at Findmypast today.
Bibliography
- 1. Surname Database, ‘Last Name: Brand’, http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Brand, Accessed 13 June 2018.
- 2. Forebears, ‘Brand Surname Meaning & Statistics’, http://forebears.io/surnames/brand, Accessed 13 June 2018.
- 3. Famous Fix, ‘Johannes Brand’, http://www.famousfix.com/topic/johannes-brand, Accessed 13 June 2018.
- 4. ANU Biography, ‘Sir David Brand’, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/brand-sir-david-9571, Accessed 13 June 2018.
- 5. Famous Fix, ‘Adam Brand’, http://www.famousfix.com/topic/adam-brand, Accessed 13 June 2018.
- 6. Famous Fix, ‘Russell Brand’, http://www.famousfix.com/topic/russell-brand, Accessed 13 June 2018.
Image Credits
- a. Surname Distribution,’Brand Surname Distribution Worldwide’, http://forebears.io/surnames/brand, Accessed 13 June 2018.
- b. Wikipedia, ‘David Brand’, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/29/Sir_David_Brand.jpg, Accessed 13 June 2018.
