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Brien Family History

Brien Surname Meaning

Irish: shortened form of O'Brien. Breton: variant of Briand. English: variant of Bryant.

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


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Where is the Brien family from?

You can see how Brien families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Brien family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Brien families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 480 Brien families living in London. This was about 27% of all the recorded Brien's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Brien families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Brien 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 Brien 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 Brien. 25% of Brien men worked as a General Labourer and 81% of Brien women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Brien were Unpaid Domestic Duties and Unpaid Domestic.

View Census Data for Brien | 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
    25%
  • Builders Labourer
    11%
  • Labourer
    11%
  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    11%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    81%
  • Domestic Servant
    6%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%

What Brien family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 226,000 census records available for the last name Brien. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Brien census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Brien

Passenger Lists

There are 35,000 immigration records available for the last name Brien. 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 Brien immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 15,000 military records available for the last name Brien. For the veterans among your Brien ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Brien military records

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