The Bradbury surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,172 people carried this name — #4,343 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 36,100 people counted. That is up 1% from 8,065 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Bradbury surname

A habitational surname from Old English.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Bradbury» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley explains it as ‘of Bredbury’.

His entry covers Bradbury and Bradberry.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 126 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Bradbury was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Staffordshire: 36 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 278. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Staffordshire 36
Yorkshire, West Riding 17
Derbyshire 15

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

67 families named Bradbury, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 410 people lived in those households, 6.1 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maine 37
Massachusetts 8
North Carolina 8
New Hampshire 6
Pennsylvania 5
New York 1
Virginia 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 231 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Bradbury in American newspapers,
1897–1912.

Newspaper page from The Brookings Register carrying the name Bradbury
The Brookings Register 1912-05-23
Newspaper page from The Black Hills Union carrying the name Bradbury
The Black Hills Union 1897-09-03
Newspaper page from The Brookings Register carrying the name Bradbury
The Brookings Register 1912-07-11

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 160,209 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Bradbury in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

27,415 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bradbury. The most, 5,123, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 3.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 9,313
Victoria 7,303
Queensland 4,712
Western Australia 2,613
South Australia 1,735
Tasmania 1,091
ACT (Canberra) 441
Northern Territory 142

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bradbury.

Who carried it

People named Bradbury,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Phyllis Clarke Bradbury d. 2005 · biologist
  • Gladys Brodrick Birdwood d. 1918
  • Joan Bradbury 1450–1530
  • Philippa Bradbury 1466–
  • William Bradbury 1480–1546
  • Wymond Bradbury 1574–1650

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Bradbury,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,092 records

1,092 records of the Bradbury name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 300
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 225
  • Other U.S. records 567
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Thomas J. Bradbury

    Born 1914 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1942 at Boston; machinist. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1976, buried at Rhode Island Veteran Memorial Cemetery, Exeter, Rhode Island.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Steven Wayne Bradbury

    Born 1949; from Wichita, Kansas. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Elizabeth Bradbury

    Arrived at New York in 1870 aboard the Colorado from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 58; matron. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,092 records for Bradbury in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia864 records

864 records of the Bradbury name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 431
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 132
  • Other Australian records 301
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Charles Bradbury

    Died 1883 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 79. Will registered in Tasmania in 1883.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Bradbury

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1853. Married 1853 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Bradbury

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Lord Melville, arriving 1830; ticket of leave 1834. Native of London.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 864 records for Bradbury in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada201 records

201 records of the Bradbury name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 142
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 25
  • Other Canadian records 34
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Bradbury

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Texas, landing at Quebec, bound for P.a. Landing, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Isaac Bradbury

    Killed in 1936 at the Dominion No. 2 mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Keith William Bradbury

    Buried in 1968 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 26.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 201 records for Bradbury in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom61 records

61 records of the Bradbury name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 51
  • Stirling Council burial records 5
  • Other British records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Stella Bradbury

    Died 1996, aged 66; buried at Balfron Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ann Peace Bradbury

    Will proved in 1933; of Colwyn Bay, Caernarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Bradbury

    Cheshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 61 records for Bradbury in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand17 records

17 records of the Bradbury name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Stephen Joseph Bradbury

    Died 1936, aged 92; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Eliza Ann Bradbury

    Died 1928, aged 75; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Richard Arthur Bradbury

    Died 1946, aged 80; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Bradbury in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Bradbury name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  • Dutch population registers 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Stanley Bradbury

    Died 1959 in Wageningen, aged 48; engineer.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ernest Harry Bradbury

    Died 1945 in Vlissingen, aged 27; ship's mate.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Eva Francis Emily Bradbury

    Died 1955 in Den Helder, aged 72.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Bradbury in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Bradbury name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Ernest James Bradbury

    Born 1919 in Great Britain; died 1998 in Lézignan-Corbières (Aude).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Bradbury.

When the index is not enough

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