The Bradford surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 54,015 people carried this name — #628 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,460 people counted. That is up 4% from 51,726 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Bradford surname

A habitational surname from Old English.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Bradford» (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 classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Bradford’.

An early record he cites: Alexander de Bradeford, Northumberland, 1197 — History of Northumberland (Hodgson).

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 127 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 37 people named Bradford live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 24
City of Buenos Aires 13

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

24 people named Bradford live in Switzerland.

They live in 3 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 13
Vaud 8
Zug 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

34 people named Bradford is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 34

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Bradford was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Dorset: 21 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 476. 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

Dorset 21
Somerset 12

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 Scotland’s registers today

Bradford was recorded 24 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1003rd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 34. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Bradford in American newspapers,
1902–1919.

Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Bradford
The Birmingham Age-herald 1919-12-14
Newspaper page from The Age-herald carrying the name Bradford
The Age-herald 1902-02-15
Newspaper page from Evening Times-republican carrying the name Bradford
Evening Times-republican 1918-04-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 11,848 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Bradford in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

51,686 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bradford. The most, 12,674, date from the 1930s. 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 Queensland, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 17,398
Queensland 15,736
Victoria 7,097
South Australia 5,124
Western Australia 3,726
Tasmania 2,128
ACT (Canberra) 246
Northern Territory 36

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

Who carried it

People named Bradford,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John V. Bradford d. 1824 · painter
  • Isabella Fergusson Bradford d. 1940
  • Ursula Elizabeth Haldane d. 2010
  • Nancie Walton Mellor d. 1998
  • Peter J. Bradford d. 1990
  • Sarah Jeffery Bradford d. 1879

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

In the public record

People named Bradford,
in the records of 8 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 States3,785 records

3,785 records of the Bradford name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,690
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 787
  • Other U.S. records 1,308
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Willie B. Bradford

    Born 1944; from Blytheville, Arkansas. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam. Buried at Memphis National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Johnnie Bradford

    Born 1910 in Alabama. Enlisted 1942 at Chicago, Illinois; auto mechanic. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Illinois.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Bradford

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Germanic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 23; spinner. From Bolton, England; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 3,785 records for Bradford in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · 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) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,211 records

1,211 records of the Bradford name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 519
  • Tasmanian Names Index 237
  • Other Australian records 455
  1. 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 Ann Bradford

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the William Bryan, sailing from London in 1833. Native of Dublin, Dublin. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1835.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Richard Bradford

    Died 1857 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 65. Will registered in Tasmania in 1857.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Bradford

    Arrived in Queensland in 1853 aboard the Caroline, aged 9.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,211 records for Bradford in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada139 records

139 records of the Bradford name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 84
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 17
  • Other Canadian records 38
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ernest Henry Bradford

    Buried in 1995 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 79.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Rebecka Bradford

    Died 1988, aged 88; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record David Lyall Bradford

    Died 1970 in Halifax International Airport, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 47.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 139 records for Bradford in Canada.

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

United Kingdom56 records

56 records of the Bradford name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 35
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 12
  • Other British records 9
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Bradford

    Died 1964, aged 57; buried at Bannockburn 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 Frederick Bradford

    Will proved in 1932; of Uplands, Swansea, Glamorgan.

    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 John Bradford

    Private; died 1918. Named in the roll of honour, Arbroath and district, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 56 records for Bradford in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). 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 Zealand31 records

31 records of the Bradford name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 28
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Catherine Agnes Bradford

    Died 1938, aged 71; buried at Bromley 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 Melville Arthur Bradford

    Died 2001, aged 70; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sophia Bradford

    Died 1912, aged 72; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 31 records for Bradford in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District 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 Bradford name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Gilbert Bradford

    Married in 1913 in Delden; carpenter.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Katie Melenie Gustave Bradford

    In the population register of Selzaete (Blg.); born 1891 in Selzaete (Blg.).

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Bradford in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France2 records

2 records of the Bradford 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 Ronald Arthur Bradford

    Born 1907 in Great Britain; died 1999 in Nyons (Drôme).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Eudora Bradford

    Born 1925 in Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes); died 1985 in Montpellier (Hérault).

    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).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Bradford name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Katey Bradford

    Married in 1911 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Bradford.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Bradford is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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