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Bradley Family History

Bradley Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from any of the many places throughout England named Bradley from Old English brād ‘broad’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’.

Scottish: habitational name from Braidlie in Roxburghshire.

Irish (Ulster): adopted as an English equivalent of Gaelic Ó Brolcháin ‘descendant of Brolacháin’ a diminutive of the personal name Brólach compare Brawley.

This was a learned family.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Bradley family from?

You can see how Bradley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bradley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bradley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 5,187 Bradley families living in Yorkshire. This was about 21% of all the recorded Bradley's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Bradley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bradley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Bradley ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Bradley. 8% of Bradley men worked as a General Labourer and 65% of Bradley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bradley were Bricklayer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Bradley | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    8%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    65%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Bradley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Bradley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bradley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Bradley

Passenger Lists

There are 99,000 immigration records available for the last name Bradley. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Bradley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 170,000 military records available for the last name Bradley. For the veterans among your Bradley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bradley military records

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