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Irish surname

Brett: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

de Brit · Norman 'le Brit', 'le Bret', i.e. the Breton, native of Brittany (Woulfe)

Woulfe (1923) prints Brett as a form of de Brit, from Norman 'le Brit' or 'le Bret', 'the Breton, native Brittany'. He says families of the name came to Ireland at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion or soon after and settled in different parts of the country. Matheson counted 20 Brett birth entries in Ireland in 1890, principally in Sligo and Dublin.

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Coat of arms associated with the Brett surname
Irish formde Brit
MeaningNorman 'le Brit', 'le Bret', i.e. the Breton, native of Brittany (Woulfe)
CountiesSligo, Dublin
Other spellings2
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Brett crest gifts

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Origin of the Brett name

Woulfe: 'Norman le Brit, le Bret, i.e., the Breton, native Brittany'. 'Families of this name came to Ireland at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion, or soon after, and settled in different parts of the country.' de Breit is a variant.[1]

  1. 1233Four Masters: William Britt and English chiefs slain on de Lacy's raid against Cathal O'Reilly.[5]
  2. 189020 Brett birth entries in Ireland, principally in Sligo and Dublin.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. SligoMatheson 1890: Brett principally found in Sligo and Dublin.[3]
Co. DublinMatheson 1890: Brett principally found in Sligo and Dublin.[3]

Other spellings

Britt · de Breit[1][4]

The Brett coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Brett surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Brett surname: questions

What does the surname Brett mean?

Woulfe gives Brett as a form of de Brit, from Norman 'le Brit' or 'le Bret', i.e. the Breton, a native of Brittany.[1]

Is Brett an Irish name?

Woulfe treats it as a Norman name: families of this name came to Ireland at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion or soon after, and settled in different parts of the country.[1]

Where in Ireland is Brett found?

In 1890 Matheson counted 20 Brett birth entries in Ireland (Leinster 7, Munster 4, Connaught 9), principally in Sligo and Dublin.[3]

Sources

  1. de Brit — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/d/de-brit.php
  2. de Breit — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/d/de-breit.php
  3. Brett — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/brett.php
  4. Brett (list no. 158) — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/158.php
  5. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1233 (part 7) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text007.html

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).