Bradley
A habitational surname meaning “from the broad clearing or meadow,” especially common in England.
The #208 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,258 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bradley comes from Old English elements meaning “broad” and “woodland clearing” or “meadow.” In place-name form, it refers to a broad clearing, pasture, or meadow. The surname was taken from one of several English places called Bradley.
History
This is a classic English locational surname, and many unrelated families could have adopted it from different places of the same name. Lower notes examples in several English counties and also mentions a tradition of Norman descent for one branch, but the core origin is still local and place-based. Because so many parishes and townships were called Bradley, the surname became widespread fairly early and remains common today.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bradley is one of those surnames that can point to several different villages at once, not just one ancestral home.
From the historical record
“Wight. BRADLEY. Parishes, Src, in cos. Berks, Chester, Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Hants, Stafford, &c. BRADNEY. A place in co. Somerset, belonging to Sir Simon de Bredeuie in 1346. Bardney or Braduey, co. Lincoln, may also have a claim. Tbere is a tra- dition of Norman descent. BRADSHAW. A chapelry, co. Lancaster…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Bradley
- Omar Bradley (1893–1981)
- James Bradley (1693–1762)
- Michael Bradley (b. 1987)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.