This unusual name is a variant of 'Brand' a surname created from a personal name. It is found mainly in Devonshire and the southern countiesof England. The ultimate derivation is from the Germanic name 'Brando' a short form of various compound names with the element 'brand' meaning 'sword' or 'fire-brand', from 'brinnan', to flash. The personal name is shown in various place names before 1066, which suggests that 'brand' was introduced to England by the Norsemen, 'Brandr' being a common Old Norse personal name. In the modern idiom the surname can be spelt: Brand, Brant, Braund, Braun, Bront and Brandt. The first recorded instance of Braund is as follows: Hamo Braund in the Curia Rolls of Bedfordshire, 1219. 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 William I, The Conqueror 1066-1087. 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.