Coat of Arms & Family Crests Store
 Brauer Coat of Arms / Brauer Family CrestThe surname of BRAUER was originally an occupational name 'the brewer' one who made and sold ale. The name is familiar in its variant spellings to France, England, Germany, Italy and Holland and also spelt BREGER, BREY, BREYER, BREUER, BRUER and BRUYERE. Occupational surnames originally denoted the actual occupation followed by the individual. At what period they became hereditary is a difficult problem. Many of the occupation names were descriptive and could be varied. In the Middle Ages, at least among the Christian population, people did not usually pursue specialized occupations exclusively to the extent that we do today, and they would, in fact, turn their hand to any form of work that needed to be done, particularly in a large house or mansion, or on farms and smallholdings. In early documents, surnames often refer to the actual holder of an office, whether the church or state. Surnames as we know them today were first assumed in Europe from the 11th to the 15th Century. The employment in the use of a second name was a custom that was first introduced from the Normans. They themselves had not long before adopted them. It became, in course of time, a mark of gentler blood, and it was deemed a disgrace for gentlemen to have but one single name, as the meaner sort had. At first the coat of arms was a practical matter which served a function on the battlefield and in tournaments. With his helmet covering his face, and armour encasing the knight from head to foot, the only means of identification for his followers, was the insignia painted on his shield and embroidered on his surcoat, the flowing and draped garment worn over the armour. A notable member of the name was Adriaen BRAUER (or BROUWER) (circa.1605-1638) the Flemish painter born in Oudenarde. He studied at Haarlem and about 1630 settled at Antwerp, where he died of the plague. His favourite subjects were scenes from tavern life, country merrymakings, card players, smoking and drinking groups, and roisterers generally. Over the centuries, most people in Europe have accepted their surname as a fact of life, as irrevocable as an act of God. However much the individual may have liked or disliked the surname, they were stuck with it, and people rarely changed them by personal choice. A more common form of variation was in fact involuntary, when an official change was made, in other words, a clerical error. |
