Brittain
A surname originally used for someone from Brittany, or for a Breton immigrant.
The #4,096 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,607 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Brittain is a surname tied to Brittany in northwestern France, the homeland of the Bretons. In medieval English records, forms like le Brit, le Breton, Briton, and Brittain were used for a person from that region. The name is therefore an ethnic or regional surname meaning, in effect, 'the Breton' or 'the man from Brittany.'
History
The historical excerpts show Brittain grouped with Britten, Britton, Britain, and Brittan as related surname forms, especially in English records. Bardsley notes that such names were associated with immigrants from Brittany and appear in older rolls and parish registers. The surname later spread in England and also appears in North America, where it survived alongside several spelling variants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname lists often treated Brittain and Britton as interchangeable spellings, so the same family could appear under several forms in different records.
From the historical record
“BRITTAIN BRITTAN BRITTEN BRITTON BUTTARl butter; BUTTERICK 2”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)