Brainard Family Crest and Last Name Background

There is no single Brainard family crest for every bearer. Herald Lab researches the arms historically associated with the name and explains whose they were.

Family name meaning

Clerks wrote Brainerd in many ways, and Brainard is one that stuck. At root, the name means “Descendant of Brandhard (sword, hard)”.

Only a small detail separates the spellings: Brainard has “a” where Brainerd has “e”. About 3,992 people in the United States were recorded as Brainard in 2010, placing it 8,299 on the national list. That puts it inside the top 10,000 US surnames. Brainard sounds close to Bernard, Bernardo and Bernardi, so it can help to search both.

Research your Brainard family history with a full surname report and painted coat of arms.