Recorded as Brand, Brandt, Braund, Braundt, Braun, Bront, and Brauns, this is a surname of Anglo-Saxon origins. It derives from the pre 7th century male given name Brando, a short form of various compound personal name, such as Hildebrand, containing the element "brand", sword or fire-brand, a derivative of "brinnan", to flash. The names Brant and Brand form the first element of various placenames, such as Brandeston, (Suffolk), and Branston in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. As these places were recorded prior to 1066, the indication is that they were introduced into England by Norsemen, Brandr being a popular Norse name. Early examples of recordings include Ralph Brand in the "Pipe Rolls of London" in 1184, and Hamo Braund in the "Curia Regis Rolls of Bedfordshire" in 1291. On May 26th 1546 John Brand and Agnes Bissine were married in Saint Lawrence Pountney, London. Francis Frederick Brandt (1819 - 1874) was a notable as a legal writer, having been called to the bar at Inner Temple in 1847 and published treatises, relating to the law as affecting sport. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Brant, which was dated 1086, The Domesday Book, Norfolk, during the reign of King William 1st , known as "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.