Surname Brinken - Meaning and Origin
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Brinken: What does the surname Brinken mean?
The last name Brinken is believed to have Germanic origins and generally means “edge of a field” or “ brink of a hill”. It could be derived from two words, namely “bruch,” meaning “clearing,” and “ingen,” meaning “parish or settlement,” suggesting that perhaps a family or clan whose name was Brinken may have had a homestead near a field or flowery meadow. Alternatively, the name may have descended from a place named “Brinken” or a word related to “brink,” referring to the precipice or topmost point.
Another interpretation could link the name to “brinks,” which is an Old English word that generally means “hills,” possibly suggesting that someone of the Brinken family may have originally had some kind of connection to a hilly area. It’s also possible that the last name is derived from the Dutch word “brik,” which means “bridge.” In this case, it could suggest that a Brinken ancestor may have been involved in bridge building or have lived close to a bridge.
Modern-day surname bearers of Brinken often have German or Dutch roots. It is not a particularly common surname, however there are some people of this name throughout the world, including the United States and various parts of Europe.
Order DNA origin analysisBrinken: Where does the name Brinken come from?
The last name Brinken is commonly found in Germany, where it originated from the Middle German word “Brink”, which means “edge” or “border”. It is also found in Scandinavia - especially Denmark, Sweden and Norway - and occasionally elsewhere in Europe, such as in the Netherlands and Poland.
The Brinken family is quite numerous within Germany, and can be traced back to its first known ancestor Mathias Brinken who lived in 1275 in Greven, Münsterland. The family name is sometimes spelled “Brincken” as the letter “k” and the letter “c” are interchangeable in German. Later, in the 17th and 18th centuries, some branches of the Brinken family became ennobled in Prussia and Westphalia.
In the United States, the surname is found mainly amongst German and Dutch immigrants who came to the USA in the 19th century. The largest Brinken population, however, is still found in Germany, as well as in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. As of 2017, there were approximately 12,800 people in the world with this last name.
Today, the Brinken surname is generally associated with Germany. It is a family name that is associated with centuries of history, and it remains a popular surname for descendants of the original German family.
Variations of the surname Brinken
The surname Brinken is an ancient Germanic surname derived from the elements “brin” meaning “cliff” or “bank” and “ken” meaning “edge” and “corner”. Therefore, the surname Brinken means “living near a cliff or bank”. Variants, spellings and surnames related to Brinken include Brinkmann, Bröckling, Brocken, Bronken, Brinke,1 Brinck, Brincker, Brincke and Brilling.2
Brinkman, Brinkmann and Bröckling are some of the common variants of the Brinken surname, which is of German origin.3 Brinkman is spelled with a single “n” instead of two, Brinkmann is a Dutch variant of Brinken, while Bröckling is its modern German variant.4 Brocken and Bronken are also among the related spellings which stem from the same root. Brocken is a Low German spelling of Brinken, while Bronken is an Old Dutch spelling of the same surname.
Brinke, Brinck, Brincker, Brincke and Brilling are other surnames related to Brinken. Brinke is a Low German variant of Brinken, while Brinck and Brincker are variants derived from a Germanizing of the Dutch “Brunck” surname.5 Brincke is a variant of the Low German “Brinke”, while Brilling is the surname used by Mennonite settlers of Dutch origin.
All of these variants, spellings and surnames share the same meaning: to live near a cliff or bank. They have spread across Europe and to other parts of the world, and their bearers have found new homes and new beginnings. Hence, the variants, spellings and surnames of Brinken continue to be found in many different parts of the world today.6
1. http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=brinke
2.https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=brincke
3. https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Brinken
4.https://www.houseofnames.com/brinken-family-crest
5. https://www.houseofnames.com/brinck-family-crest
6. http://www.primegenealogysolutions.com/surnames-origin/brinken.html
Famous people with the name Brinken
- 1.Betty Brinken: A German professional volleyball player who played internationally in the 1960s.
- Marisa Brinken: An American recording artist, singer-songwriter and music producer.
- Jeff Brinken: An American film actor and stunt coordinator, best known for his work on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
- Armin Brinken: A Swedish film producer and director.
- Erwin Brinken: A German football manager and former player.
- Erich Brinken: A German loungewear designer who began his career as a fashion journalist.
- Dagmar Brinken: An Austrian actress, best known for her roles in the Italian and German films.
- Michael Brinken: An American photographer and filmmaker whose work often focuses on the underground rock music scene.
- Stefan Brinken: A German former footballer who played as a forward.
- Martha Brinken: A German actress and director who has appeared in numerous television shows, films and theatre productions.