If you have any comments on this web site please email me by clicking here
The Meaning of the name: BRIGDEN
Only one definition of the name has been found. It is believed that it is a name that indicates a family’s origin or village, rather than its occupation. In this case, the name derives from Brigdon Hill in Sussex.
Brigdon Hill is located between Ashburnham and Battle, Sussex.
Extract from "My Family Tree" video. See Video for more details.
Analysis of the distribution of the Brigden name
An analysis has been carried out of the 1,084 entries on the International Genealogical Index, the British Vital Records Index, the National Burial Index and the 1881 UK Census. It covers the period 1538 to 1888.
The analysis includes names with simpler pronunciation but different spellings as follows:
 | Bregden 5; Bridgden 16; Brigdon 1; Brigden 842; Brigdon 196; Briggden 7; Brigton 5; and Brygden 5 |
Variations in spelling can be expected because of literacy problems and transcription errors.
The earliest entry is a birth of Betres Brigden in 1538 in Brede, Sussex.
The family appears to have originated from Sussex with a number of sixteenth century references in Brede, Westfield, Ewhurst, Barcombe and Hooe, all in Sussex.
However the biggest single concentration of the Brigden name is in Hadlow in Kent, a total of 272 references. Brighton is second with 66 entries and Cuckfield third with 62 entries.
The first Hadlow reference is a birth in 1625 and the last a marriage in 1842.
The family gradually spread to Tonbridge, Kent 1630; Southwark, Surrey 1639; Lindfield, Sussex 1663; Horsted Keynes. 1696; Brighton, 1713; and Croydon, 1797.
The first Brigden family recorded in Cuckfield is in 1798 and in Horley in 1834.
The earliest ancestor traced is Stephen BRIGDON born about 1650 in Lindford. For the next six generations the name was spelt with an 'o' not an 'e', until the marriage of Charles around 1835.
My Family Tree is a 60 minute documentary that I have made with my digital camcorder and edited into a video production.
This documentary is the story of four families. It is the story of my father's parents, Brigden and Chapman, and my mother's parents, Crowhurst and Plowman.
The video can be purchased for £5 plus £2 postage and packaging. To order a copy click here