Bradshaw Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Bradshaw last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Bradshaw last name
Meaning of the Bradshaw last name: broad wood. Bradshaw is an English surname from Bradshaw near Bolton in Lancashire, or from places of the same name in Derbyshire and Yorkshire, meaning "broad wood". A family of the name held land in Lancashire for centuries. A curious detail: John Bradshaw presided over the court that tried Charles I. The last name is still common in Lancashire and Cheshire.
Arms associated with the Bradshaw name
A blazon is the short formal description of a coat of arms, written in old heraldic French, and arms associated with Bradshaw families are described the same way.
Get your full Bradshaw family history
This is only a glimpse of the Bradshaw story. The full Bradshaw history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Bradshaw coat of arms. Get the full Bradshaw report.
Bradshaw name FAQ
What does the Bradshaw name mean?
Broad wood. Common variants include Bradshawe, Bradshah, Broadshaw.
Where does the Bradshaw surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Canada.
Is there a Bradshaw coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Bradshaw coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).