Although O’Donovan speculates that this English place-name might mean ‘town of the brae, or hill’ (14), the word brae “slope, hillside” is not attested in Yola (see Dolan & Ó Muirithe, 1996). Moreover, in English place-names of Anglo-Norman origin in Wexford the genitive marker -s, as in ‘Brastowne’ (1), is very rarely used where the qualifier is a topographical element or other inanimate object: see HILLTOWN (par. Ballymore), BRIDGETOWN (par. Mulrankin), CASTLEBRIDGE (par. Ardcolm), CHURCHTOWN (par. Hook); see also STREAMSTOWN (par. Rosslare).

It seems more likely that this place-name contains the surname Bray. This surname is attested in New Ross in the mid-sixteenth century (see Hore i p.240; see also p.195) and among the Anglo-Normans at an earlier date elsewhere, e.g. ‘Robert de Bre [Dublin]’ (CJR Edw.II p.47); ‘Stephen Bray [Meath]’ (CJR Edw.II p.210); ‘David Bras [Limerick]’ (CJR Edw.II p.304). There are two townlands called Braystown and one called Braysland in Co. Meath, recorded in the Parish Namebook in pencil as ‘Baile Bhráigh’ (par. Gernonstown), ‘Baile Bhráidh’ (par. Killary) and ‘Fearann braidh’ (par. Siddan), respectively, that also appear to contain this surname (see logainm.ie). On this evidence the Irish form of the surname can be standardised as Bráidh (cf. SIF p.22), hence the recommended Irish version Baile Bhráidh.

[There is no reason to believe that ‘Braes-’ here is Old Norse, as recently suggested ([details to be added]). The surname Bray, and variants thereof, is attested among the Anglo-Normans in Ireland and Braestown, a place-name of the standard Anglo-Norman construction ‘surname + -(ə)s + -town’, could have been coined at any point after their arrival. In the absence of unambiguous evidence to indicate earlier derivation it would be methodologically unsound to infer Norse settlement from such a name.]

[Excerpt from Logainmneacha na hÉireann IV: Townland Names of County Wexford, 2016, with additional material in square brackets [ ].]