My name is Debbie Brimer and I was an amateur genealogist for around 30 years after being introduced to the hobby by my husband at university. I turned the hobby into my profession in 2015 and have just completed a 3 year Masters (MSc) degree in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies at the University of Strathclyde. The first stage in the  research into the Brimer / Brymer families formed my final year project – a dual DNA / documentary study of the branches of the families with surviving male name bearers in the UK. The project is now in its second stage and the research continuing to include female lines in the UK, branches in other countries and expansion into the Bremner, Brebner and other variant families both at home and abroad.

The project is using a combination of traditional genealogical techniques and DNA analysis to achieve the following aims:
• To identify the origins of the surnames
• To identify if there is a monogenetic origin and whether all the families can be linked together by family reconstitution techniques
• To confirm these links by DNA analysis and prove or disprove links where the records are inconclusive or missing
• To identify any variances and deviants and the time frame in which the names became settled
• To examine the migration patterns of bearers of these surnames both within the British Isles and abroad
• To examine longevity, fecundity and illegitimacy rates over time in relation to bearers of these surnames and how this compares to the general population of those times
• To look at the types of occupation followed in the different branches of the surnames

Alongside the DNA testing, a One Name Study is taking place, reconstructing families. Living males are placed into different lines as represented by the oldest generation identifiable from the civil registration records and census data. The aim is to obtain one DNA result from every line and up to three on larger lines with the individuals tested being 3^rd cousins or greater.

Please do get in touch if you have the Brimer, Brymer, Bremner, Brebner or other variant surname surname yourself, or in your family tree – it would be great to exchange knowledge, stories and pictures with you and further the current body of knowledge - and please join the DNA project if you are able.