Brinkerhoff
A Dutch surname likely meaning “court messenger” or “chief messenger,” though the old explanation is not entirely secure.
The #9,861 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 94,130 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is traditionally explained from Dutch elements interpreted as brenger, “messenger,” and hof, “court,” with a second possible reading from hoofd, “head” or “chief.” On that analysis, it would denote a court messenger, chief messenger, or carrier attached to a court. The historical source also notes that the name was borne by people from Bremen, Germany, suggesting an early German-Dutch borderland usage.
History
The name appears in historical surname discussion as a Dutch form associated with northwestern German and Dutch-speaking areas. In later records it is especially known in the United States, where it remained relatively uncommon but established. Because the old etymology is somewhat speculative and the OCR text is noisy, the exact original form and sense should be treated cautiously.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Brinkerhoff is one of several Dutch-American surnames that ended up with a very Anglicized spelling while preserving a distinctly Dutch-looking ending.
From the historical record
“native of Bremen, Germany. BRINKERHOFF. (Dutch.) BrengerJiof, messenger of the court, or head messenger or carrier ; from Brenger, a mes- senger, and hof, a court, or hoofd, head, chief, a leader. BRISBAN or BRISBEST. This name is* local, and may signify the Mount or Hill of Judgment, a place where courts were held…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names