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

Broughton, 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 Broughton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Broughton in America

Broughton is the 2918th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Broughton surname appeared 12,273 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Broughton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Broughton 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 Broughton

The surname Broughton originates from England and dates back to the early medieval period. It is a locational name derived from one of the numerous places called Broughton, which is an Old English compound word, "Burg-tun," meaning a fortified town or settlement.

The earliest known record of the name Broughton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Burcheton" and "Burgeton." This suggests that the name was already well-established in various parts of England by the 11th century.

In the 12th century, the name was recorded as "de Bructon" and "de Broctuna," indicating that it was a place of residence for certain individuals or families. These early spellings highlight the variations that occurred over time due to local dialects and scribal errors.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Broughton (c. 1300-1370), an English knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He participated in several battles, including the Battle of Crécy in 1346.

Another historical figure was Hugh Broughton (1549-1612), an English scholar and Puritan divine. He was known for his expertise in Hebrew and his contributions to the translation of the Bible.

In the 17th century, Richard Broughton (1608-1687) was a prominent English clergyman and author. He served as the vicar of Kidderminster and wrote several religious works, including "An Exposition of the Ten Commandments."

During the 18th century, William Broughton (1768-1821) was a British naval officer and explorer. He played a significant role in the exploration of the Pacific Ocean and was the first European to sight the Hawaiian Islands.

Another notable figure was John Broughton (1789-1837), an English bare-knuckle boxer known as the "Father of Boxing." He was instrumental in establishing many of the rules and regulations that governed the sport in its early days.

These examples demonstrate the widespread distribution of the Broughton surname throughout England and its association with individuals from various walks of life, including military personnel, clergy, scholars, explorers, and sportsmen.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Broughton

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

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 Broughton 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 Broughton 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 Broughton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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