Recorded as Breming, Brimman, Brimin, Briming, Brimming and possibly others, this is an English surname. It is probably locational from some place such as Brimham in North Yorkshire, or even the city of Birmingham, which over the centuries has attracted many slang forms. However the most likely explanation is that it originates from a now "lost" medieval village, whose name translates as Breme's people, with Breme according to the Dictionary of English Place Names, being an Olde English personal name. Lost villages of the British Isles form a very large group estimated at over three thousand, and some researchers claim even more. Most of theseplaces seem to have provided surnames. This is not s surprising as locational surnames are by their very nature, names given to people after they left their original homes to move somewhere else, and were thereafter identified by being called after their former place. Spelling being at best indifferent and local accents very thick, often lead to the creation of "sounds like" forms. In this case we have identified several recordings in the surviving registers of the city of London, but there may well be larger groups elsewhere. These examples include Arnold Brimman at the church of St Katherine by the Tower (of London) on January 10th 1585, and a century and probably at least four generations later, that of Mary Brimming who married Thomas Pierson at the same church on January 22nd 1687. Were they related? Sadly we dont know because we have not been able to find supporting records.

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