Brabant Family History

French Walloon Flemish and German: habitational name from Brabant, a province in the Low Countries. English: cognate of 1 above from Old French Brabant, Middle English Braban, Brabayn, used to denote both the region and an inhabitant of it. See also the synonymous Brabazon.

In medieval England, Brabans were typically linen weavers and cloth merchants. The final syllable of Braban, when weakly stressed, was often altered to -ben, -bin, -bon, and also to -bam.

The additional -t or -d in post-medieval Brabant, Braband, etc. is probably excrescent rather than a relic of the Old French form.

French: habitational name from (Le) Brabant, the name of several places in the northeastern part of France.