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Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • English : probably from Middle English, Old French brace ‘arm’, also denoting a piece of armor covering the arm. In most cases it is probably a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of armor, specifically armor designed to protect the upper arms, but it could also have been a nickname for someone with strong arms (compare Armstrong) or a deformed or otherwise noticeable arm.

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