UK surname
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "broad, low-lying meadow".
In the 1881 census there were 85 people recorded with the Bradby surname, ranking it #21,573 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 82, ranked #32,895, down from #21,573 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Sedgley and Burton-on-Trent. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bradby is 287 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.5%.
1881 census count
85
Ranked #21,573
Modern count
82
2016, ranked #32,895
Peak year
1861
287 bearers
Map years
2
1861 to 1891
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Bradby surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Bradby surname density by area, 1891 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.
| Year | Period | Count | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | historical | 92 | #18,050 |
| 1861 | historical | 287 | #8,773 |
| 1881 | historical | 85 | #21,573 |
| 1891 | historical | 170 | #16,816 |
| 1901 | historical | 77 | #25,627 |
| 1911 | historical | 88 | #24,041 |
| 1997 | modern | 86 | #28,876 |
| 1998 | modern | 93 | #28,563 |
| 1999 | modern | 93 | #28,711 |
| 2000 | modern | 84 | #29,706 |
| 2001 | modern | 88 | #29,056 |
| 2002 | modern | 86 | #29,771 |
| 2003 | modern | 84 | #29,978 |
| 2004 | modern | 87 | #29,897 |
| 2005 | modern | 86 | #30,094 |
| 2006 | modern | 87 | #30,292 |
| 2007 | modern | 82 | #31,295 |
| 2008 | modern | 78 | #32,081 |
| 2009 | modern | 82 | #32,048 |
| 2010 | modern | 81 | #32,582 |
| 2011 | modern | 84 | #32,237 |
| 2012 | modern | 83 | #32,611 |
| 2013 | modern | 85 | #32,658 |
| 2014 | modern | 87 | #32,585 |
| 2015 | modern | 83 | #32,847 |
| 2016 | modern | 82 | #32,895 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Sedgley, Burton-on-Trent, Cockfield and Southampton St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside | Durham |
| 2 | Sedgley | Staffordshire |
| 3 | Burton-on-Trent | Staffordshire |
| 4 | Cockfield | Suffolk |
| 5 | Southampton St Mary | Hampshire |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Bradby surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bradby, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.
These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.
The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.
UK neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Bradby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Bradby household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Bradby is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bradby is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Bradby, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname Bradby originates from England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "brad" meaning broad and "by" meaning a town or village, suggesting the name likely referred to someone who lived in a broad town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bradby can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a John de Bradeby in Lincolnshire. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a Thomas de Bradeby.
The Bradby name is also documented in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book contains records of individuals with similar name variations, such as Radulfus de Bradebi and Willelmus de Bradeberie.
During the medieval period, the name Bradby was primarily concentrated in the counties of Lincolnshire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include William Bradby (c.1500-1567), who was an English Protestant clergyman and scholar, and Robert Bradby (1586-1670), a Member of Parliament for Stafford during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, Thomas Bradby (1587-1642) was a prominent English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. Another notable figure was John Bradby (1649-1703), a successful merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire.
Moving into the 18th century, Edward Bradby (1710-1786) was a renowned English architect who designed numerous churches and country houses in the Palladian style. In the 19th century, Joseph Bradby (1798-1869) was a respected English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club and is credited with helping to establish the first set of official laws for the game.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bradby surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 18 Bradbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.22x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire | 18 | 2.22x |
| Hampshire | 10 | 5.96x |
| Oxfordshire | 9 | 17.79x |
| Lancashire | 8 | 0.82x |
| Hertfordshire | 7 | 12.40x |
| Kent | 4 | 1.43x |
| Middlesex | 4 | 0.49x |
| Wiltshire | 4 | 5.52x |
| Cheshire | 3 | 1.66x |
| Derbyshire | 3 | 2.34x |
| Lincolnshire | 3 | 2.29x |
| Nottinghamshire | 3 | 2.72x |
| Somerset | 2 | 1.52x |
| Buckinghamshire | 1 | 2.02x |
| Channel Islands | 1 | 4.12x |
| Durham | 1 | 0.41x |
| Essex | 1 | 0.62x |
| Lanarkshire | 1 | 0.38x |
| Norfolk | 1 | 0.79x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Halifax in Yorkshire leads with 10 Bradbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 83.89x.
| Place | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Halifax | 10 | 83.89x |
| Great Amwell | 6 | 1052.63x |
| Henley On Thames | 5 | 480.77x |
| Toxteth Park | 5 | 15.19x |
| Andover | 4 | 251.57x |
| Caversham | 4 | 396.04x |
| Great Wishford | 4 | 4000.00x |
| Cheadle | 3 | 86.96x |
| Garston | 3 | 104.53x |
| Southampton All Sts | 3 | 104.17x |
| Swanscombe | 3 | 238.10x |
| Crich | 2 | 238.10x |
| Greasley | 2 | 80.32x |
| Holy Trinity | 2 | 10.25x |
| Leeds | 2 | 4.36x |
| Nettlecombe | 2 | 2500.00x |
| Roecliffe | 2 | 2857.14x |
| St Marylebone London | 2 | 4.57x |
| Aldershot | 1 | 17.79x |
| Basingstoke | 1 | 51.81x |
| Belton | 1 | 188.68x |
| Bengeo | 1 | 151.52x |
| Bishopton | 1 | 1000.00x |
| Crowland | 1 | 121.95x |
| Dacre | 1 | 555.56x |
| Glasgow | 1 | 2.13x |
| Huddersfield | 1 | 8.45x |
| Lee | 1 | 24.63x |
| Norwich St Stephen | 1 | 86.21x |
| Peak Forest | 1 | 714.29x |
| Southampton St Mary | 1 | 9.47x |
| Southwell | 1 | 125.00x |
| St George Botolph Lane | 1 | 3333.33x |
| St Helier | 1 | 12.66x |
| St Martin Lincoln | 1 | 81.97x |
| St Pancras London | 1 | 1.52x |
| Upton Cum Chalvey | 1 | 50.76x |
| West Ham | 1 | 2.80x |
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Bradby surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Bradby surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Bradby households.
FAQ
In 1881, 85 people were recorded with the Bradby surname. That placed it at #21,573 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 82 in 2016. That gives Bradby a modern rank of #32,895.
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "broad, low-lying meadow".
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bradby bearers relative to the surrounding population.
The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.