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Brainard Family History

Brainard Name Meaning

English (Essex): variant of Brainwood a nickname from Middle English brainwod ‘mad in the mind furious’ for someone who easily lost his temper. The surname has a long history in villages near Chelmsford Essex and its 17th-century variants including Branward Branard Braynard and Braynerd occur within 5 or 6 miles of Writtle where the name originated in the early 14th century.

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


Similar surnames: Brainerd, Baynard, Ranard, Barnard, Braford, Rainer, Rynard, Ricard

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Brainard family from?

You can see how Brainard families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Brainard family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Brainard families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 6 Brainard families living in London. This was about 38% of all the recorded Brainard's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Brainard families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Brainard surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Brainard ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Brainard. 16% of Brainard men worked as a Farmer and 13% of Brainard women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Brainard were Truck Driver and Housekeeper. .

View Census Data for Brainard | 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.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    16%
  • Laborer
    16%
  • Salesman
    9%
  • Truck Driver
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    13%
  • Housewife
    11%
  • Stenographer
    9%
  • Housekeeper
    7%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Brainard family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 37,000 census records available for the last name Brainard. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Brainard census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Brainard

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Brainard. 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 Brainard immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Brainard. For the veterans among your Brainard ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Brainard military records

You've only scratched the surface of Brainard family history

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What is the average Brainard lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Brainard life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 1969. The average life expectancy for Brainard in 1944 was 30, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Brainard

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