The Bradshaw surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 42,465 people carried this name — #818 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,940 people counted. That is up 4% from 40,794 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Bradshaw surname

From the Old English words for “broad” and “wood”.

From English Bradshaw, made of Old English brad (“broad”) and shaw (“wood”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (fr.wiktionary.org, the French edition) — entry «Bradshaw», by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · translated from French and condensed.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 25 births for the Bradshaw name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,100 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

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

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 11
Leinster 6
Munster 6
Connacht 2

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 23 people named Bradshaw.

Most of them — 21 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often Haute-Saône.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 21
Haute-Saône 1
Paris 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

34 people named Bradshaw 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

Bradshaw was found among the farmers of 8 counties.

It was most frequent in Northamptonshire: 38 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 263. 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

Northamptonshire 38
Lancashire 25
Bedfordshire 18
Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 15
Leicestershire and Rutland 13
Derbyshire 10
Huntingdonshire 10
Oxfordshire 10

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

Bradshaw was recorded 18 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1248th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 22. 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 the first U.S. census, 1790

79 families named Bradshaw, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 422 people lived in those households, 5.3 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

North Carolina 26
Pennsylvania 12
Massachusetts 9
New York 9
Virginia 8
South Carolina 8
Maryland 5
Rhode Island 1
Connecticut 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

Bradshaw in American newspapers,
1903–1915.

Newspaper page from The Jones County News carrying the name Bradshaw
The Jones County News 1915-02-18
Newspaper page from The Western News carrying the name Bradshaw
The Western News 1909-06-09
Newspaper page from The Mirror And Farmer carrying the name Bradshaw
The Mirror And Farmer 1903-01-01

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 121,464 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Bradshaw in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

59,321 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bradshaw. The most, 8,469, date from the 1930s. Victoria 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 3.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 17,704
New South Wales 12,964
Queensland 9,998
Western Australia 6,832
Tasmania 6,256
South Australia 4,875
Northern Territory 337
ACT (Canberra) 206

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

Who carried it

People named Bradshaw,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Mary Bradshaw
    Mary Bradshaw d. 1780 · actor
  • John Bradshaw d. 1588 · politician
  • Bill Bradshaw d. 2017 · rugby league player
  • Bridget Bradshaw d. 1960
  • Margaret Bradshaw d. 1715
  • Ruth Lowther d. 1803

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Bradshaw,
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 States3,539 records

3,539 records of the Bradshaw name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,312
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 652
  • Other U.S. records 1,575
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record David F. Bradshaw

    Born 1932; from Jessamine County, Kentucky. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1950 in North Korea. Buried at Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (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 Henry Lee Bradshaw

    Born 1942; from Long Beach, California. U.S. Army, indirect fire infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

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

    Born 1923 in Ohio. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Thomas Newport, Kentucky; driver from Clark County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1977, buried at Ferncliff Cemetery, Springfield, Ohio.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 3,539 records for Bradshaw 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) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Australia2,326 records

2,326 records of the Bradshaw name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,027
  • Tasmanian Names Index 527
  • Other Australian records 772
  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 Sarah Bradshaw

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Emma Eugenia, sailing from London in 1850. Native of Birmingham, Warwickshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1856.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. 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 Charles Bradshaw

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Admiral Cockburn in 1819. Native of Watford, Hertfordshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1838.

    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 Eliza Bradshaw

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lord Auckland, sailing from Dublin in 1848. Native of Tyrone. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,326 records for Bradshaw 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).

Canada221 records

221 records of the Bradshaw name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 123
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 30
  • Other Canadian records 68
  1. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Ernest Bradshaw

    Served in the No. 2 Construction Battalion in the First World War, private; of British West Indies.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joseph Bradshaw

    Came to Ontario in 1875 aboard the Scan, landing at Quebec, bound for Stayner, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Clement Patrick Bradshaw

    Buried in 1993 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 86.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 221 records for Bradshaw 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 Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · 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. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom93 records

93 records of the Bradshaw name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 75
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 14
  • Other British records 4
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record John Bradshaw

    Born 1880 at Sheffield; motor engineer. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Samuel Bradshaw

    Died 1930, aged 38; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Jane Harriet Bradshaw

    Will proved in 1921; of Windermere, Westmoreland.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 93 records for Bradshaw 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. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand46 records

46 records of the Bradshaw name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 38
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 5
  • Other New Zealand records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Bradshaw

    Died 1972, aged 91; buried at Memorial Park 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 Mary Jane Bradshaw

    Buried in 1962 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 83.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Sally Grey Bradshaw

    Born 1918, died 2001; ashes interred at Kaiapoi Public Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 46 records for Bradshaw in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Netherlands8 records

8 records of the Bradshaw name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 7
  • Dutch population registers 1
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Edward Bradshaw

    In the population register of Liverpool (Gb); student, born 1910 in Liverpool (Gb).

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anna Bradshaw

    Married in 1769 in Rotterdam; born in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Bradshaw in the Netherlands.

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

France3 records

3 records of the Bradshaw 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 Alex Leroy Bradshaw

    Born 1975 in Saint-Christophe-et-Niévès; died 1995 in Saint-Martin (Guadeloupe).

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

    Born 1923 in the United Kingdom; died 1991 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Bradshaw in France.

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 Bradshaw.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Bradshaw 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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