Find out how popular the last name Broadhead is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Broadhead.

Broadhead, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Broadhead surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Broadhead in America

Broadhead is the 12491st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Broadhead surname appeared 2,482 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Broadhead.

We can also compare 2010 data for Broadhead to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Broadhead

The surname Broadhead is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words 'brad' meaning broad and 'heafod' meaning head. It is an ancient descriptive surname, initially referring to someone with a broad forehead or a large head.

The earliest known recorded instance of the Broadhead surname can be traced back to the 13th century in Yorkshire, England. It appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census document commissioned by King Edward I, where it is listed as 'Bradhevyed'.

During the medieval period, the Broadhead surname was concentrated primarily in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is believed to have originated from the village of Broadhead near Burnley, Lancashire, which was first mentioned in historical records in 1241.

In the 16th century, the surname Broadhead appears in the Subsidy Rolls of 1523-1524 for the county of Yorkshire, indicating its continued presence in the region. Notable bearers of the name during this time include John Broadhead, who was born in 1542 in Oxenhope, Yorkshire.

The Broadhead surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest surviving public record commissioned by William the Conqueror. It is listed under various spellings, such as 'Bradeheved' and 'Bradehefed', further confirming its ancient roots.

Throughout history, several prominent individuals have borne the Broadhead surname. One notable figure was Thomas Broadhead (1604-1677), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Wilsick in Yorkshire. Another was Henry Broadhead (1787-1834), a British naval officer who participated in several significant battles during the Napoleonic Wars.

Other notable Broadheads include William Broadhead (1815-1879), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and John Broadhead (1870-1949), a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northampton from 1923 to 1931.

The Broadhead surname continues to be found predominantly in the United Kingdom, particularly in the northern counties of England, as well as in other English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Broadhead

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Broadhead.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Broadhead was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Broadhead has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Broadhead was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Broadhead, please contact us.

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