The Brittain surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,671 people carried this name — #4,096 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 34,000 people counted. That is up 5% from 8,294 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Brittain surname

A surname from Anglo-Norman.

Variant of Britain; habitational surname from Anglo-Norman Bretaigne (“Brittany”), from Latin Britannia.

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

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Brittany’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: John de Brytaygn, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Brittain, Brittan, Britten, Britton, Britain, Brittin and Brittian.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 135 · public domain.

In print

Brittain in American newspapers,
1885–1913.

Newspaper page from White Pine News Weekly Mining Review carrying the name Brittain
White Pine News Weekly Mining Review 1913-11-09
Newspaper page from The Weekly Copiahan carrying the name Brittain
The Weekly Copiahan 1885-08-29
Newspaper page from The San Francisco Call carrying the name Brittain
The San Francisco Call 1896-06-23

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 34,690 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Brittain in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

15,264 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Brittain. The most, 3,901, date from the 1910s. Victoria 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 Western Australia, at 3.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 4,351
Western Australia 3,898
Queensland 3,123
New South Wales 1,771
South Australia 1,312
Tasmania 742
ACT (Canberra) 41
Northern Territory 2

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

Who carried it

People named Brittain,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Marion L. Brittain
    Marion L. Brittain 1866–1953
  • Harry Brittain
    Harry Brittain 1873–1974 · politician
  • Harry Brittain
    Harry Brittain 1873–1974 · politician
  • Edith Mary Brittain d. 1905
  • Lionel Brittain 1650–1721
  • James Brittain 1785– · cricketer

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 Brittain,
in the records of 6 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 States669 records

669 records of the Brittain name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 328
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 146
  • Other U.S. records 195
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Melvin E. Brittain

    Born 1920 in Nebraska. Enlisted 1942 at Portland, Oregon; driver from Douglas County, Oregon. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1993, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    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 Harold Brittain

    Born 1941; from Shelby, North Carolina. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Binh Dinh, 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 Duran Brittain

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Gallia from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 24; clerk. From Saxony, Germany; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 669 records for Brittain in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (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).

Australia515 records

515 records of the Brittain name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 212
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 147
  • Other Australian records 156
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Henry Brittain

    Born 1872 in Port Cygnet, Tasmania. Married 1895 in Port Cygnet, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Edward Henry Brittain

    Born 1873 in Hobart, Tasmania. Died 1915 in Tasmania, aged 42.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 Mary Brittain

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Maria, arriving 1818; ticket of leave 1825. Native of York.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 515 records for Brittain 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) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada163 records

163 records of the Brittain name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 148
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 4
  • Other Canadian records 11
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Peter Brittain

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Pallacier, bound for Spithead, aged 17.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Charles Brittain

    Came to Ontario in 1875 aboard the Record, bound for Woodstock, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Sidney Brittain

    Died 1961; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 163 records for Brittain in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · 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 Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); 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).

United Kingdom24 records

24 records of the Brittain name in the United Kingdom
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 11
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 6
  • Other British records 7
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Brittain

    Died 1963, aged 85; buried at Dunblane Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Sarah Brittain

    Will proved in 1927; of Bangor, Caernarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. V. Brittain

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

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

Showing 3 of 24 records for Brittain in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France3 records

3 records of the Brittain 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 Brian Maxfiel Brittain

    Born 1937 in Great Britain; died 2001 in Argelès-sur-Mer (Pyrénées-Orientales).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marcelle Beatrix Helene Brittain

    Born 1889 in Paris; died 1989 in Cachan (Val-de-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Nicolas Brittain

    Born 1943 in the United Kingdom; died 1990 in Caden (Morbihan).

    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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Brittain name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Henry Matthew Brittain

    Died 1961 in Overleden op Zee, aged 35.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Brittain.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Brittain 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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