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Brighan Family History

Brighan Name Meaning

Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). Many of the modern surnames in the dictionary can be traced back to Britain and Ireland.


Similar surnames: Brigham, Brigman, Bright, Brighton, Brugman, Brian, Bregman, Bridgham

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Brighan family from?

You can see how Brighan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Brighan family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Brighan families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there was 1 Brighan family living in Massachusetts. This was about 50% of all the recorded Brighan's in USA. Massachusetts and 1 other state had the highest population of Brighan families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Brighan surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Brighan ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Brighan. 29% of Brighan men worked as a Farmer and 42% of Brighan women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Brighan were Engineer and Housework. .

View Census Data for Brighan | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    29%
  • Laborer
    22%
  • Salesman
    10%
  • Engineer
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    42%
  • Teacher
    34%
  • Housework
    25%
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What Brighan family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Brighan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Brighan census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Brighan

Passenger Lists

There are 141 immigration records available for the last name Brighan. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Brighan immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 79 military records available for the last name Brighan. For the veterans among your Brighan ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Brighan military records

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