BROUGHTON
Broughton is an English surname of locational origin, deriving from several villages named Broughton situated throughout the British Isles, including Buckinghamshire, Cumberland, Huntingdonshire, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Northamptonshire, Hampshire and others. The name first appeared as a reference to someone who resided at or near one of these settlements.
The etymology of the surname is rooted in Old English. The second element, tun, means a farm, enclosure or settlement. The first element may come from the pre‑7th‑century word brōc, meaning a brook or stream; as recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, the Huntingdonshire place was written Broctune. In some instances it stems from burh, a fortress or fortified place – for example the Shropshire locality recorded as Burghton in the Hundred Rolls of 1255. In Hampshire the element is believed to be beorg, meaning a hill or barrow, with the settlement appearing in 1239 as Berghton. Consequently, the surname has been interpreted as “the settlement by the brook,” “the fortified settlement,” or “the hilltop habitation,” depending on the specific place of origin.
The earliest documented spelling of the family name is de Broghtone, found in the Fine Court Rolls of Oxfordshire, dated 1247. In the same period, a witness named Richard de Broghtone appears in these records during the reign of King Henry, who later died in 1634. The name was further recorded in the 13th‑century Assize Court Rolls of Northumberland as Alan de Burhtun (1227), illustrating the diversity of spellings that were common in medieval England.
In modern times the surname remains common within England and Wales, and it has spread to other English‑speaking countries. Numbers reported by the 2010 United States Census place Broughton at the 18,224th position in the ranking of surnames, placing it near the lower half of all surnames. In the United States the name is most frequently found in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida, with additional concentrations in Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama. Beyond North America the name is also recorded in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and, through migration, in Ireland, particularly in County Mayo.
There exists a considerable array of orthographic variants that share the same linguistic roots, including Broeton, Brithon, Burtton, Broughten, Broughden, Brouden, Brougden, Brougton, Broughtyne, Brughton, Broughtan, Brougthon, Broughtene, Broughdon, Broughthon, Broughstone, Brougtun, Broughatin, Broughtonne and Brogden. Related surnames of similar geographic derivation, such as Burford, Brogden, Broughall, Broughden, Brixton and Brepair, also appear throughout the English‑speaking world.
One early bearer of the name was Richard Broughton of Norfolk (d. 1634), an author of the book The Ecclesiastical (1633). His work is an example of the name’s historical presence in literary and clerical contexts during the early modern period. The enduring nature of the surname reflects both its deep English roots and its adaptation across centuries and continents.
Typical given names associated with the Broughton surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Christine
- Emma
- Helen
- Joanne
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- 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 Broughton in...
Braille
⠃⠗⠕⠥⠛⠓⠞⠕⠝
Morse
-....-.---..---.....-----.
Semaphore
There are approximately 10,195 people named Broughton in the UK. That makes it the 913th most common surname in Britain. Around 157 in a million people in Britain are named Broughton.
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 Broughton
- Jock Delves Broughton - Aristocrat (1883 to 1942)
- Martin Broughton - Businessman
- Arthur Leslie Scottorn Broughton - Actor (1901 to 1970)
- Jack Broughton - Boxer (1704 to 1789)
- Drewe Broughton - Football player
- Rob Broughton - Martial artist
- Jodie Broughton - Rugby league player
- Urban H. Broughton - Engineer (1857 to 1929)
- Rhoda Broughton - Welsh novelist (1840 to 1920)
- Jessie Broughton - Singer and actress (1885 to 1938)
- William Robert Broughton - Naval officer (1762 to 1821)
- Gus Broughton - Welsh rugby union player (1904 to 1981)
- Peter Broughton - Cricketer
- Ted Broughton - Football player (1925 to 1)
- Karl Broughton - Snooker player
- William Broughton - Australian bishop (1788 to 1853)
- Jonathan Broughton - Swimmer
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.