Frequency: (3357)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
English: habitational name from any of various minor places so called, in several counties, all first recorded fairly late. The etymology is generally Old English brād ‘broad’ + burh ‘fort’ (see Bury), but Bradbury in County Durham is recorded in Old English as Brydbyrig, the first element probably being Old English bred ‘board’. This is probably also the first element in Bradbury, Cheshire.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
