Broadus
A masculine given name of English origin meaning "broad valley".
Name Census estimates that about 284 living Americans carry the first name Broadus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Broadus today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Broadus births was 1924 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Broadus. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Broadus is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Broadus' were born before 1965.
People living today
284
~ 1 in 1,206,881 Americans
Peak year
1924
32 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
2013 SSA rank
#12,417
Tracked since 1900
Popularity
Broadus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Broadus from the 1900s through to the 2010s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 227 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Broadus by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Broadus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Broadus' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia recorded the most babies named Broadus, while Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 142 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Broadus
The name Broadus is of English origin and is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, possibly as early as the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "brad," meaning broad or wide, and may have been initially used as a descriptive surname referring to someone of a broad or sturdy build.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Broadus can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1301, where a certain "Johannes Brodeus" is mentioned. This spelling variation suggests that the name had already been in use for some time and had begun to take on different forms.
In the 16th century, the name Broadus gained some prominence with the birth of Thomas Broadus (1538-1603), an English physician and academic who served as the Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Cambridge. His works on medicine and natural philosophy were widely read and influential during his time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Henry Broadus (1677-1745), a British architect who designed several prominent buildings in London, including the original structure of the Foundling Hospital. His architectural style was heavily influenced by the Baroque period, and his work helped shape the cityscape of 18th-century London.
In the 19th century, John Albert Broadus (1827-1895) was a Baptist minister, theologian, and educator from Virginia, United States. He served as the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and was widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention. His works on homiletics and biblical interpretation were widely studied and remain influential to this day.
Another significant figure with the name Broadus was Robert Isham Broadus (1876-1945), an American mathematician and educator. He made important contributions to the field of algebraic geometry and served as a professor at the University of Missouri and the University of Colorado.
While not as common as some other English names, Broadus has persisted throughout history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including academics, architects, religious leaders, and mathematicians.
People
Broadus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Broadus as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Broadus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Broadus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 284 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Broadus going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,206,881 US residents.
Is Broadus a common name?
We classify Broadus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 905 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Broadus most popular?
The single biggest year for Broadus was 1924, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Broadus is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Broadus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Broadus in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.