The Brister surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,123 people carried this name — #5,669 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 48,100 people counted. That is up 14% from 5,386 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Brister surname

Variant of Bristow.

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

In print

Brister in American newspapers,
1896–1918.

Newspaper page from New York Journal carrying the name Brister
New York Journal 1896-09-24
Newspaper page from The Fayette Falcon carrying the name Brister
The Fayette Falcon 1918-06-07
Newspaper page from The States-graphic carrying the name Brister
The States-graphic 1918-05-24

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 11,146 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Brister in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1960s.

388 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Brister. The most, 68, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 2.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 207
New South Wales 68
South Australia 42
Queensland 32
Tasmania 32
ACT (Canberra) 2
Western Australia 2
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Brister,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Princess Sotanki 1876– · magician
  • T. C. Brister 1896–1976 · businessperson
  • Dolores Brister Bausum 1927–2022

Wikidata (CC0) · 8 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Brister,
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 States264 records

264 records of the Brister name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 158
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 47
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 21
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 18
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 11
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 7
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John C. Brister

    Born 1920 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1942 at Oklahoma City; dairy farmer from Stephens County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Duncan Cemetery, Oklahoma.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Stanley Brister

    Born 1951; from Fairview, Ohio. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joh Brister

    Arrived at New York in 1859 aboard the New York from Bremen, aged 56; merchant. From Steinfeld, Germany.

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

Showing 3 of 264 records for Brister in the United States.

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

Australia52 records

52 records of the Brister name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 18
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 15
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 14
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 3
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  • 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 Robert Brister

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Sir Robert Peel, sailing from London in 1844. Native of Kingsbury Regis, Somerset.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Charles F. Brister

    Arrived in Queensland in 1886 aboard the Cloncurry, aged 19.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Henry Brister

    Metal polisher of Windsor, Victoria; died 2001.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 52 records for Brister in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (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).

Canada28 records

28 records of the Brister name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 16
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 6
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Charles Brister

    Buried in 1931 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 86.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Pearl A. Brister

    Died 1929 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Stanley Brister

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 28 records for Brister in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom3 records

3 records of the Brister 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 E. Brister

    Wiltshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    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. H. Brister

    Corporal, Royal Garrison Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

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

    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).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Brister name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 1
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Agnes Janet Brister

    Died 1929, aged 68; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William John Brister

    Died 1936, aged 54; buried at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Brister.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Brister 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.

See the Brister volume
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