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The term Frank in eastern Mediterranean countries was used, in various vernacular forms, to denote the Crusaders and their descendants, and the American surname may also be an Americanized form of such a form.English, Dutch, German, etc.: from the personal name Frank, in origin an ethnic name for a Frank.
The surname often indicates that one's ancestors lived in a place called Brent, but it can also come from the Middle English word brent meaning burned, indicating that one's ancestor either lived near a burned-over area, or was a criminal who had been branded on the cheek.