This name derives from a northern English dialectual term "brasche" meaning "rash or "impetuous" and was originally given as a nickname to a rather impetuous person. The surname from this source is first recorded in Scotland in the early half of the 17th Century (see below). One, Robert Brash, a gardener, appears on record in Edinburgh in 1630 and a John Brash in Wester Craigend, Stirlingshire (1657). "The Commissariot Record of Hamilton and Campsie" instances one, Adam Brashe in the parish of Campsie. In 2nd of January 1681 one, John Wilson married a Janet Brash in Strathblane, Stirlingshire and on January 10th 1836 the christening of Alison, an enfant, daughter of James and Alison Brash is recorded in North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Brash, a stabler. which was dated 1622, The Register of marriage for the parish of Edinburgh. during the reign of King James VI of Scotland 1567 - 1625. 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.