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      Bowser, Bowsher see BELCHER.

      Bowsmith, Bowersmith, Bowyer, Boyersmith (Eng) Occupational name of a maker/seller of bows.

      Boyd, Boyde (Scot, Irish) Traditionally explained as a reference to the island of Bute, or derived from a Gaelic word for someone with yellowy hair, but no one can be sure of its meaning.

      Boyersmith see BOWSMITH.

      Boys (Fre) Descendant of someone who was a dweller in a wood.

      Brace, Brass (Eng) Occupational name of a maker of armour, specifically that which protected the brace, the two upper arms. In some instances the name refers instead to a maker of breeches. A worker in brass was more likely to become a BRASHER, BRASIER or BRAZIER.

      Dickens refers in The Old Curiosity Shop to ‘the legal gentleman, whose melodious name was Brass.’ He goes on to joke: “The dwarf glanced sarcastically at his brazen friend.’

      Bracegirdle (Eng) Occupational name of a belt-maker, which girdled a man’s breeches.

      Bracer, Braisher, Brasher, Brasseur (Eng) Occupational name of a brewer, from French brasseur. But Brasher can also mean ‘brass-worker.’

      Bradley (Eng, Scot) Descendant of someone who came from any one of the many places so-named because of a ‘broad clearing, or wood.’ Similar place-names which became surnames, where Brad -in each case means ‘broad,’ include Bradbrook, Bradbury, ‘fort’, Braddock, ‘oak’, Braddon, ‘hill’, Bradfield, Bradford, Bradshaw, ‘thicket’, Bradwell, ‘stream’.

      Bradman (Eng) Nickname for a ‘broad man.’

      Bradshaw, Bradwell see BRADLEY.

      Bragg (Eng) Nickname for a lively, cheerful person. See BRAXTON.

      Brampton (Eng) Someone who came from one of the several places so-named because it was a ‘settlement where broom grew.’

      Brasher, Brasseur see BRACER.

      Brasier, Brazier see BRACE.

      Brasnett, Brassett (Eng) Nickname for someone with a ‘brazen head,’ a head as hard as brass.

      Brass see BRACE.

      Braxton (Eng) Descendant of someone who originally came from a place of this name, which was ‘Bracc’s enclosure.’

      Harper Lee, in To Kill a Mockingbird, mentions ‘Mr Underwood, a profane little man, whose father in a fey fit of humour christened Braxton Bragg, a name Mr Underwood had done his best to live down. Atticus said naming people after Confederate generals made slow steady drinkers.’

      Bream see FISH.

      Brenton (Eng) Someone who came from one of the place so-named because it was ‘Bryni’s settlement.’

      Breton, Bret, Brett, Bretton, Brettoner, Britain, Britner, Britnor, Briton, Britt, Brittain, Brittan, Brittian, Brittin, Brittney, Britton, Brittoner, Britts, Bruttner, Brutton (Eng) Descendant of a Breton, a man from Brittany, but Breton was also a medieval term of abuse for a braggart.

      Brewer, Brewers, Brewster, Broster, Brouwer, Brower, Bruster (Eng) A male or female brewer.

      This explanation of his family name did not satisfy Dr Brewer, editor of a Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. In the 13th edition of that book he claimed that ‘very few ancient names are the names of trades.’ He went on to insist that Brewer, ‘which exists in France as Bruhiäre and Brugäre, is not derived from the Saxon briwan (to brew), but the French bruyäre (heath), and is about tantamount to the German Plantaganet (broom plant).’ Perhaps one Brewer in a million may trace his name back to a Bruyäre or Läbruyare, but brewing was a very common occupation in the Middle Ages, when beer was probably drunk more often than water.

      Brian, Briant, Brien, Bryan, Bryant, MacBrien, O’Brian, O’Brien, O’Bryan (Irish, Eng) Descendant of Brian, a Celtic personal name of disputed meaning, borne especially by Brian Boru, king of Ireland in the early 11th century. The name may mean ‘hill’ (with the metaphorical meaning ‘eminence’), but ‘high, noble’ and ‘of many qualities’ have been suggested by writers on surnames with a knowledge of Gaelic. The final -t in some forms of this name is described by linguists as ‘excrescent.’ As the name is said the extra sound forms itself of its own accord, as it were.

      Brice see PRICE.

      Brickman (Eng) The official in charge of a toll-bridge.

      Bride see BIRD.

      Bridge, Bridgeman, Bridgen, Bridgens, Bridger, Bridges, Bridgman, Brigg, Briggs, Brigman, Bruggen, Brugger, Brydges, Dealbridge, Delbridge, Dellbridge (Eng) Dweller near a bridge, of collector of bridge tolls. In some instances the reference may be to a Flemish trader from Bruges, Belgium.

      Bridson see KILBRIDE.

      Brien see BRIAN.

      Brigetson see KILBRIDE.

      Brigg, Briggs see BRIDGE.

      Brigham (Eng) Descendant of someone who originally came from one of the places so-named because it was a ‘homestead near a bridge.’

      Bright, Brightman (Eng) Nickname applied to someone of great beauty.

      There are hundreds of limericks which mention particular surnames. A separate book would be needed to do justice to them. One of the better-known examples is:

      There was a young lady named Bright.

      Who could travel much faster than light.

      She started one day.

      In the relative way,

      And came back the previous night.

      Brightey see BIRDSEYE.

      Brightman see BRIGHT.

      Brightrich see BARTRICK.

      Brigman see BRIDGE.

      Brill see FISH.

      Brisbane, Brisbourne (Eng) A bone-breaker. Reaney mentions a similar surname CRAKEBONE and suggests that the reference is to the sheriff’s officer who broke the legs of condemned criminals.

      Britain, Britner, Britnor, Briton, Britt, Brittain, Brittan, Brittian, Brittin, Brittney, Britton, Brittoner, Britts see BRETON.

      Broadfoot see PUDDY.

      Broadhead (Eng) A descriptive nickname.

      Brockhouse, Brockis, Brockman, Brockway, Broke, Brokus see BROOK.

      Bronson see BROWN.

      Brontë (Irish) The grandparents of the Brontë sisters lived in County Down and were known as BRUNTY, a form of PRUNTY or PRONTY, from a Gaelic name meaning ‘bestower, a generous person.’ The girls’ father then changed Brunty to Bronte, the Greek word for ‘thunder.’

      In her Life of Charlotte Brontë Mrs Gaskell remarks that ‘about this time, to her more familiar correspondents, she occasionally calls herself Charles Thunder, making a kind of pseudonym for herself out of her Christian name, and the meaning of her Greek surname.’

      Brook, Brockhouse, Brockis, Brockman, Brockway, Broke, Brokus,

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