This is a locational or habitational name which derives from some now "lost" area or village. The earliest recording as shown below has retained it's spelling, which suggests that the surname is correct and that the translation is "Burns valley" from the pre 7th Century Old English "Burn" - a personal name which late developed into the Celtic "Bryn" plus "denu" - a valley. An alternative possibility is that the name is a derivation from Brendon (Devon and Somerset) translating as "the Broom covered hill(s)". The surname recordings include John Brinsden, a witness at St. Lukes church, Chelsea on February 14th 1656 in the "reign" of Oliver Cromwell (1649 - 1658) and Mathias Brendon recorded at St. Annes, Blackfriars on February 8th 1700 in the reign of William of Orange (1689 - 1702). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Brinsden, which was dated December 21st 1636, married Alice Hall at St. Giles, London, during the reign of King Charles 1, "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.