Is this your surname? Why not share this page on Facebook

Surname Etymology and Meaning of BRIER

Name meanings and etymologies are often disputed. The information here is compiled from freely available sources, and no claims whatsoever are made for accuracy, either historical or etymological.

1. English (Yorkshire): topographic name for someone who lived by a briar patch, Middle English brere. This was also applied as a nickname for a prickly, difficult person.
2. Scottish and northern Irish: reduced form of McBriar (see McBrayer).
3. Americanized form of German Breuer.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names (2003)