Broughton
A English habitational surname from places named Broughton, meaning a settlement on or by a hill or borough.
The #2,918 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 25,156 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Broughton is a habitational surname from one of several places in England called Broughton. The place-name is generally explained from Old English elements meaning either "hill" or "borough/fortified place" plus "settlement" or "town." In the sources here, the surname is specifically linked to Broughton in Staffordshire, though many places of the same name exist.
History
Like many English surnames, Broughton was adopted by people who moved away from a place called Broughton and were identified by their original home. Lower notes a Staffordshire origin for one early bearer, in the reign of Edward I. The name also appears in other English counties and later spread overseas, including to the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley notes several English places called Broughton, which helps explain why the surname could arise independently in more than one family line.
From the historical record
“299. BROUGHTON. From Broughton, co. Stafford, andfii'St assumed by a descendant of Hugh de Vernon (Baron of Bhipbrook, temp. Will. I.) in or about the reign of Edw. I. BRU 43”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom