Show ContentsBroadway History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Broadway surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in Northamptonshire. The name derives from the term at the Broadway which is at times shortened by omitting the first a.

Early Origins of the Broadway family

The surname Broadway was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Broadway family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Broadway research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Broadway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Broadway Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Broadway include Bradway, Broadway, Bradwaye and others.

Early Notables of the Broadway family

More information is included under the topic Early Broadway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Broadway Ranking

In the United States, the name Broadway is the 4,011st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [1]


United States Broadway migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Broadway Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Broadway, who landed in Virginia in 1643 [2]
  • Tho Broadway, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 [2]
  • Thomas Broadway, who settled in Virginia in 1654
  • An Broadway, who landed in Virginia in 1663 [2]
Broadway Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Cornelius Broadway, aged 68, who arrived in New York in 1822
  • Edwin T Broadway, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1885 [2]

Australia Broadway migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Broadway Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • James Broadway, English convict from Suffolk, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia [3]
  • Mr. Henry Broadway, English convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [4]
  • Mr. William Broadway, (b. 1817), aged 25, English ploughman who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Eden" on 12th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island), he died in 1888 [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Broadway (post 1700) +

  • Shane Broadway (b. 1972), American politician, Member of the Arkansas Senate (2003-2009), Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives (1996-2002)
  • Roderick Craig "Rod" Broadway (b. 1955), American football coach and former player
  • Lance Daniel Broadway (b. 1983), American actor and former Major League Baseball pitcher
  • John W. Broadway, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in SAINT Helena, 1905 [6]
  • Tom Broadway (b. 1982), English competitive rower
  • Remi Broadway (b. 1978), Australian actor, best known for his role as Rupert Pringle in The Wayne Manifesto and as Piffy, the bell ringer in The Late Show
  • Thomas Geoffrey Broadway (1911-1978), New Zealand middle-distance runner at the 1934 British Empire Games, four-time national champion
  • Christine Broadway, French-born, Australian television personality in the 1970s and early 1980s
  • Broadway Lary (1906-1973), American baseball player

HMS Repulse
  • Mr.  Alexander G Broadway, British Ordinary Signalman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking [7]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th December 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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