A 'Brazener' was a medieval maker of Armour, one who 'braised or welded', or who manufactured alloys such as brass, from copper and tin. The surname is a developed form of the pre 7th Century Olde English 'Braesen', although oddly the first recording of the use of the word does not seem to be before 1552 when the term 'A Brassin Ymage' first appears. In the modern idiom the surname has several spelling variations including: Brazener, Brasener, Brazenor, Brasner, etc., there are at least nine known 'modern' surname spellings.The surname development includes Randolph Brasner, a witness at Spitalfields on November 19th 1737, whilst William Brazener was christened at St. Katherine by the Tower, on November 10th 1782. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Braysher, which was dated 1637, married Joane Miller at St. Botolps, Bishopgate, London, during the reign of King Charles l, known as 'The Martyr', 1625 - 1649. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.