BRADSHAW
The surname Bradshaw is of English origin, derivable from the Old English words brad meaning broad, and sceaga meaning thicket or woodland. Consequently the name is generally understood to have referred originally to someone who lived near a broad thicket or woodland.
In addition to this woodland interpretation, the scribe tradition contains a possibility that the name may also have denoted someone who lived near a broad ditch or trench, offering an alternate topographical explanation for the place-based surname.
The surname is also an example of a locational name, belonging to persons who hailed from one of several places called Bradshaw in the English counties of Lancashire, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire. The most common records refer to the Lancashire locality, first documented as Bradeshaghe in the year 1246. This place-name was interpreted as the “broad grove”, reflecting the same Old English roots brad (wide) and sceaga (thicket).
Early records of the family name appear in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1246 with the spelling William de Bradesaghe. The name subsequently evolved through a variety of spellings, including Brayshaw, Brashaw, Bradshaw and Brayshaw, as a result of the fluid spelling conventions of the early medieval period and the use of phonetic or “sounds‑like” spellings by scribes.
Among the prominent bearers of the surname was John Bradshaw (1602 ‑ 1659), who served as a High Court judge and Lord President of the Parliamentary Commission at the trial of King Charles I in 1649. His role as a regicide, as one of the signatories of the death warrant, places the name in the annals of English political history.
In contemporary usage the surname Bradshaw retains the strong regional association with the North of England, particularly Lancashire, and functions as a case study in the ways in which geographic and environmental features have historically influenced the formation of family names in England.
Typical given names associated with the Bradshaw surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Julie
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Bradshaw in...
Braille
⠃⠗⠁⠙⠎⠓⠁⠺
Morse
-....-..--..........-.--
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Bradshaw are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Hobnob.
There are approximately 21,620 people named Bradshaw in the UK. That makes it the 399th most common surname in Britain. Around 332 in a million people in Britain are named Bradshaw.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Bradshaw
- Terry Bradshaw - American football quarterback
- Ben Bradshaw - Politician
- Luisa Bradshaw-White - Actress
- Tom Bradshaw - Welsh football player
- Peter Bradshaw - Writer and film critic
- James Bradshaw - Actor
- Cathryn Bradshaw - Actress
- John Bradshaw - Judge (1602 to 1659)
- Paula Bradshaw - Politician from Northern Ireland
- William Bradshaw, Baron Bradshaw - Academic and politician
- George Bradshaw - Cartographer, printer, and publisher (1801 to 1853)
- Carl Bradshaw - Football player
- Laurence Bradshaw - Painter and sculptor (1899 to 1978)
- Richard Bradshaw - Opera conductor (1944 to 2007)
- Philippe Bradshaw - Artist (1965 to 2005)
- Tom Bradshaw - Scottish football player (1904 to 1986)
- Gary Bradshaw - Football player
- Frank Bradshaw - Football player and manager (1884 to 1)
- Susan Bradshaw - Musician (1931 to 2005)
- William Bradshaw - Army officer (1897 to 1966)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.