The Brigham surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,485 people carried this name — #5,369 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 45,500 people counted. That is up 3% from 6,291 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Brigham surname

From bryċġ + hām, "homestead by the bridge".

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Brigham» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Brigham was found among the farmers of Yorkshire, North and East Ridings: 19 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 19

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

115 Brigham families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 694 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 82
New Hampshire 14
Maine 6
Vermont 6
Connecticut 5
New York 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 231 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Brigham in American newspapers,
1908–1918.

Newspaper page from The Daily Star-mirror carrying the name Brigham
The Daily Star-mirror 1918-07-19
Newspaper page from Fulton County Tribune carrying the name Brigham
Fulton County Tribune 1915-01-08
Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Brigham
The Birmingham Age-herald 1908-03-15

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,511 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Brigham in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

1,170 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Brigham. The most, 255, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 386
Queensland 336
Victoria 246
South Australia 91
Western Australia 55
Tasmania 46
ACT (Canberra) 8
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Brigham.

Who carried it

People named Brigham,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Paul Brigham
    Paul Brigham 1746–1824 · judge
  • Elijah Brigham
    Elijah Brigham 1751–1816 · lawyer
  • Sarah Ward Brigham
    Sarah Ward Brigham 1756–1838
  • Nicholas Brigham d. 1558 · writer
  • Robert Brigham 1350– · politician
  • Ann Brigham 1606–1675

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Brigham,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States677 records

677 records of the Brigham name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 232
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 117
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 112
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 109
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 67
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 23
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 10
  • Sacramento County historic burials 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Gene Brigham

    Born 1948; from Denver, Colorado. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Kontum, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Colorado.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Robert D. Brigham

    Born 1920 in Missouri. Enlisted 1944 at Jefferson Barracks; electrician. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1993, buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sarah Brigham

    Arrived at New York in 1872 aboard the Republic from Liverpool, aged 33; servant. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 677 records for Brigham in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia79 records

79 records of the Brigham name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 54
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 11
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 8
  • Tasmanian Names Index 3
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record James Brigham

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Pekoe, arriving 1840; certificate of freedom 1848.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robt Brigham

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Countess of Elgin, aged 37; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William Arthur Brigham

    Gentleman of Fitzroy, Victoria; died 1976.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 79 records for Brigham in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada22 records

22 records of the Brigham name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 10
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 5
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 3
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Brigham

    Came to Ontario in 1878, bound for Gravenhurst, Ontario; American.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record James Davidson Brigham

    Died 1973; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Christina Brigham

    Died 1899 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 22 records for Brigham in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Brigham name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. W. Brigham

    Gunner, Royal Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Brigham

    Northamptonshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Brigham name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Christian Philip Brigham

    Born 1950 in Great Britain; died 1994 in Switzerland.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Brigham.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Brigham is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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