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Bright Family History

Bright Surname Meaning

English: usually a nickname from Middle English bright ‘bright good-looking fresh-faced’ (Old English beorht ‘bright shining’).

English: perhaps occasionally from an unrecorded Middle English survival of the Old English personal name Briht Beorht from a short form of any of several Old English personal names of which beorht was the first element such as Beorhtrīc ‘bright’ + ‘powerful’.

Compare Bert. Americanized form of German Brecht.

Americanized form of German Breit.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Bright family from?

You can see how Bright families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bright family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bright families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 1,183 Bright families living in London. This was about 18% of all the recorded Bright's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Bright families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bright surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Bright ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Bright. 8% of Bright men worked as a General Labourer and 66% of Bright women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bright were Bricklayer and Private Means.

View Census Data for Bright | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    8%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    66%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Private Means
    2%

What Bright family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 267,000 census records available for the last name Bright. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bright census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Bright

Passenger Lists

There are 20,000 immigration records available for the last name Bright. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Bright immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 37,000 military records available for the last name Bright. For the veterans among your Bright ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bright military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bright family history

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What is the average Bright lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Bright life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Bright in 1941 was 39, and 71 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bright

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bright ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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