BROMFIELD
Bromfield is an English surname that originates from the British Isles and has been in use since the twelfth century. Its derivation is strictly locational, pertaining to specific places in England where the plant brom – known as broom or gorse – grew. The suffix feld denotes an open field or area of land free from trees. Thus, the literal meaning of the surname is “field of broom” or “open country where broom grows.”
The surname appears in medieval records under several spellings, including Bromfeld, Broomfield and Blomfield. In the Hundred Rolls of Kent, a 1275 entry records the name Hamo de Bromfeld, indicating one of the earliest attestations. Earlier references are found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the places that give rise to the name are recorded as Brumfelda, Brumfeld, Brunfelle and Brumfeld – all corresponding to sites in Essex, Kent, Somerset, Cumberland and Shropshire.
These various localities all share the same Old English elements and the same literal sense. The name would thus identify a person who lived on or near a field marked by the presence of broom, or one who came from such a place when settling elsewhere. Evidence of the surname’s use in the early modern period includes the 1629 marriage record of John Broomfield and Elizabeth Norncot in St. Dunstan’s Church, Stepney, London.
Spelling variations of the surname have continued to evolve over the centuries, reflecting changes in orthography and regional pronunciation. The most common alternates are Broomfield and Bromfeld, while less frequent forms such as Bromegin and Bromley also appear in genealogical sources. All retain the ‑field element that points back to the original topographical description.
In the modern era, the most frequent bearers of the name are found primarily outside of England, owing to emigration during the period of British colonisation. The surname has appeared in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, often tracing back to families who settled there during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Within England itself, the name remains relatively uncommon.
Because the name has a clear locational origin, genealogical research often begins with the specific place named Bromfield in Shropshire, Cumberland or Somerset. Church registers, land deeds and tax records from these counties provide the most reliable avenues for tracing lineage back to the medieval period.
Typical given names associated with the Bromfield surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Alison
- Angela
- Carol
- Diane
- Emma
- Helen
- Jennifer
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Pauline
- Sarah
- Susan
- Tracy
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 Bromfield in...
Braille
⠃⠗⠕⠍⠋⠊⠑⠇⠙
Morse
-....-.-----..-.....-..-..
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,587 people named Bromfield in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,117th most common surname in Britain. Around 24 in a million people in Britain are named Bromfield.
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 Bromfield
- Dionne Bromfield - Black British soul music singer-songwriter, Presenter, Television Personality
- William Bromfield - Politician (1868 to 1950)
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.