The Brady surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 73,145 people carried this name — #450 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,030 people counted. That is up 3% from 71,175 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Brady surname
A habitational surname from Old English of English origin.
From Old English brād (“broad”) + ēage (“eye”) and brād (“broad”) + ēġ (“island”); or from Irish Ó Brádaigh.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Brady» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 261 births for the Brady 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 11,600 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Cavan, Dublin, Antrim, Meath, and Longford.”
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
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 89 people named Brady.
21 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 17 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
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 72 people named Brady 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
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
69 people named Brady live in Switzerland.
They live in 8 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
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 Poland’s population register
24 people named Brady have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 78 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 5 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lesser Poland.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
26 people named Brady is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
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).
In print
Brady in American newspapers,
1857–1925.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 732,454 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Brady,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Nicholas Brady 1659–1726 · poet -
Hugh Brady 1768–1851 · military officer -
Jasper Ewing Brady 1797–1871 · lawyer -
Matthew Brady 1799–1826 · bushranger -
James T. Brady 1815–1869 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 229 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Brady.
- Brach 1,251 · U.S. census
- Brache 323 · U.S. census
- Brack 3,588 · U.S. census
- Bracke 250 · U.S. census
- Bradel 121 · U.S. census
- Bradley 136,720 · U.S. census
- Braem 181 · U.S. census
- Braesch 126 · U.S. census
- Braet 137 · U.S. census
- Braga 3,402 · U.S. census
- Brager 911 · U.S. census
- Brague 191 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Brady 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.