Explore the Family Name Bradford
The meaning of Bradford
English: habitational name from any of the many places, large and small, called Bradford; in particular the city in Yorkshire, which originally rose to prosperity as a wool town. There are others in Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Greater Manchester, Norfolk, Somerset, Cheshire, Wiltshire and elsewhere. They are all named with Old English brād ‘broad’ + ford ‘ford’. History: This name was brought independently to North American by many different bearers from the 17th century onward. William Bradford (1590–1657), born in Austerfield in South Yorkshire, England, the son of a yeoman farmer, was among the Pilgrim Fathers who emigrated to North America on the Mayflower in 1620. He was a signer of the Mayflower Compact and in 1621 he was elected governor of Plymouth colony, being re-elected thirty times. Another William Bradford (1663–1752), printer, came from Barnwell, Leicestershire, England, to Philadelphia, PA, in 1685, subsequently moving to New York, where he set up a printing press and founded a paper mill. His grandson, also called William Bradford (1721–91), was known as ‘the patriot printer’, famous for his Philadelphia newspaper, which among other things denounced the Stamp Act, “which no American can mention without abhorrence”.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bradford in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Bradford saw a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, Bradford ranked as the 586th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had dropped to the 628th spot, marking a change of -7.17%. However, the total count of individuals with this surname increased by 4.43%, from 51,726 in 2000 to 54,015 in 2010. This growth has led to a slightly lower proportion per 100,000 people, moving from 19.17 in 2000 to 18.31 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #586 | #628 | -7.17% |
| Count | 51,726 | 54,015 | 4.43% |
| Proportion per 100k | 19.17 | 18.31 | -4.49% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bradford
In terms of ethnicity, the Bradford surname has shown some interesting shifts from 2000 to 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of Bradfords identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, those reporting two or more races, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native all saw increases. The most significant increase was seen within the Hispanic group, which rose by 56.25% from 1.60 to 2.50. However, the percentage of Bradfords identifying as white decreased slightly by -3.72%, from 67.27 in 2000 to 64.77 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 67.27% | 64.77% | -3.72% |
| Black | 28.47% | 29.1% | 2.21% |
| Hispanic | 1.6% | 2.5% | 56.25% |
| Two or More Races | 1.72% | 2.48% | 44.19% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.6% | 0.64% | 6.67% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.35% | 0.51% | 45.71% |
Bradford ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Bradford is British & Irish, which comprises 53.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.0%) and Nigerian (4.0%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Eastern European, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Italian, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.9% |
| French & German | 21.0% |
| Nigerian | 4.0% |
| Other | 21.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Bradford
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Bradford have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 84.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 84.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 83.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 83.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 83.60% |
What Bradford haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Bradford is I-Z58, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Z58 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and I-CTS10148, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Lowe, Norman, Stevenson, Shaw, Jarvis, White, Stephenson, Jennings, Blake, Thompson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Bradford surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Bradford have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Bradford" Surname 40.6%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Bradford" Surname 27.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Bradford" Surname 22.7%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Bradford" Surname 19.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Bradford?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Bradford are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition