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Broom History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Broom History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Broom was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the name of a plant. The family name claims direct descent from the Earls of Anjou, who changed their name to Broome after a pilgrimage to the crusades and the Holy Land. As the story goes, the Earl of Anjou, wore a sprig of Broome as a symbol of humility. He then took the name of the plant as his name.

Early Origins of the Broom family

The surname Broom was first found in Kent where Eustace de la Brome was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same census lists William de Broom and Henry de Brom in Norfolk. 1 By the time of King Edward III (1312-1377), records of the name were found in Somerset: Nicholas atte Brome and William atte Brome.

Adam de Brome (d. 1332), was a "founder of Oriel College, Oxford, of whose early life nothing is known, was Rector of Hanworth in Middlesex in 1315, Chancellor of Durham in 1316, Archdeacon of Stow in 1319, and in the same year was made Vicar of St. Mary in Oxford. " 2

Indeed, he may have been one of the progenitors of the family found in the parish of Holton in Oxfordshire. "The church is a cruciform structure, with a chapel attached to the north aisle, and another to the south; the latter, which appears to be the less ancient, was built by William Brome, who in 1461 was buried in a vault underneath it. In the parish register is recorded the marriage of Ireton to Bridget, daughter of Oliver Cromwell, which took place June 15th, 1646, in the mansion-house of the Whorwood family, to whom the estate was conveyed by marriage with the heiress of George Brome." 3

Thomas Brome (d. 1380), was a Carmelite divine who was "brought up in the monastery of his order in London, whence he proceeded to Oxford and attained the degree of master, and also, as it seems, of doctor in divinity." 2

Early History of the Broom family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Broom research. Another 316 words (23 lines of text) covering the years 1366, 1485, 1550, 1600, 1620, 1666, 1689, 1719 and 1745 are included under the topic Early Broom History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Broom Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Broome, Broom, Brome and others.

Early Notables of the Broom family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Henry Broome, who died at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485
James Brome (died 1719), was an English clergyman and travel writer from Cambridgeshire; William Broome (1689-1745), a British poet and translator; and Richard Brome, was one of the notable English dr...

Broom Ranking

In the United States, the name Broom is the 6,559^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Broom migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Broom or a variant listed above:

Broom Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Margaret Broom, who arrived in Maryland in 1652 5
Daniel Broom, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1683 5

Broom Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Broom, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1708 5
Thomas Broom, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1716 5
John Broom, who settled in Virginia in 1727

Broom Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Coena Serbel Broom, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 5
Luke C Broom, aged 25, who landed in New York in 1812 5

Broom migration to Australia +

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

Broom Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Broom, (b. 1797), aged 19, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1874 6
Mr. Charles Broom, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. James Broom, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Stephen Broom, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Thomas Broom, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Broom migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Broom Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

J. Broom, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship "Tornado" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th September 1859 9
Hannah Broom, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waipa" in 1876

Broom migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10

Broom Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

John Broom, who settled in Jamaica in 1722

Contemporary Notables of the name Broom (post 1700) +

Jacob Broom (1752-1810), American businessman and politician, signer of the U.S. Constitution
Bobby Broom (b. 1961), American jazz guitarist, composer and educator
John L. Broom, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County, 1823 11
James Madison Broom (1776-1850), American politician, Representative from Delaware at-large, 1805-07; Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1824 11
Jacob Broom (1808-1864), American politician, Representative from Pennsylvania 4th District, 1855-57 11
Herbert Broom (1815-1882), English writer on law
Donald Maurice Broom (b. 1942), English biologist and emeritus professor of animal welfare
Marlon Charles Broom (b. 1977), English professional footballer
Sir Ivor Broom (d. 2003), English RAF pilot, promoted to Air Marshal in 1974
Miss Philippa Ann Broom O.B.E., British Consultant, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for public and political service 12
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Broom family +

HMS Hood

Mr. George W Broom (b. 1917), English Shipwright 3rd Class serving for the Royal Navy from Baydon-on-Tyne, County Durham, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 13

North Sea Flood

Vera Broom, British citizen, living in Fellixstowe, England,killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

RMS Titanic

Mr. H. Broom (d. 1912), aged 33, English Bath Steward from Cowes, Isle of Wight who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 14

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html