Bromley
A habitational surname meaning someone who came from a place called Bromley, literally a “broom-field.”
The #6,146 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 55,370 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bromley is a place-name surname from several English places called Bromley. The name goes back to Old English elements meaning “broom” or “broom-plant” plus “clearing” or “meadow/field,” so the literal sense is usually taken as “broom-field.” Older sources describe it as a straightforward local surname taken from residence near or origin in one of these places.
History
The surname appears in medieval records in forms such as de Bromleh, showing the normal shift from place-name to hereditary family name. Because there are multiple Bromleys in England, the surname could arise independently in different regions. It is especially associated in older surname dictionaries with Kent and Staffordshire place-names.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Several English villages and parishes named Bromley helped generate the surname, so not every Bromley family necessarily shares a single ancestor.
From the historical record
“BROMLEY. Parishes and jjlaces in COS. Kent, Stafford, Northumh., Essex, Middlesex, &c. The word is pure A-Sax., and equivalent to "broom-field." BROI\lWICn. A town in co Stafford, and places in co. Warwick. BROND. See Brand. BROOK. BROOKE. From residence near a stream. Its medieval forms are Ate-”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom