Explore the Family Name Delbridge

The meaning of Delbridge

1. English (Devon and Cornwall): from either of two places called Thelbridge in Devon, but most likely the one in Roborough, recorded as Thelbrigg in 1318 and Delbridge in 1558–79, from which a medieval surname is known to have arisen. A possible alternative is Thelbridge Barton (Devon), recorded as Thelebrig in 1242 and Delbridge in 1577, but no clear evidence has been found for a surname from this place. Both placenames are derived from Old English Thelbrycg ‘plank bridge’. Other possibilities include Elbridge (Kent), recorded as Thelebrigge in 1187, and possibly Ellbridge (Cornwall), where initial Th- has been mistaken for the definite article and dropped. However, no early evidence has been found to link either place with the modern surname, whose presence in 17th-century Cornwall and 18th-century Kent is probably best explained as migration of the Devon surname. 2. Americanized form of German Delbrück, a habitational name from any of several places called Dellbrücke, in Schleswig-Holstein, near Paderborn, and near Cologne. The placename denotes a boarded crossing through swampy terrain.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.