Show ContentsBroadfoot History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The saga of the name Broadfoot begins with a Strathclyde-Briton family in the ancient Scottish/English Borderlands. It is a name for a person with wide feet. Tracing the origin of the name further, we found the name Broadfoot was originally derived from the Old English brad fot, which means broad foot.

Early Origins of the Broadfoot family

The surname Broadfoot was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, 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 Broadfoot family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Broadfoot research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Broadfoot History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Broadfoot Spelling Variations

The many spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names result from the fact that scribes in that era spelled words according to sound. Translation too, was an undeveloped science, and many names were altered into complete obscurity. Over the years Broadfoot has been spelled Broadfoot, Broadford, Bradfute, Braidfoot, Breadfoot, Bredfoot and many more.

Early Notables of the Broadfoot family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Marion Broadfoot, wife of William Wallace


United States Broadfoot migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainties and discrimination faced in Scotland, many decided to head out for North America. Once they arrived, many Scots fought with relish in the American War of Independence; some went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Many ancestors of these Scots have recovered their lost national heritage in the 20th century through Clan organizations and Scottish historical societies. Among the settlers to North America were:

Broadfoot Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jonathon Broadfoot who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1802
  • William Broadfoot, aged 26, who landed in North Carolina in 1812 [1]
  • William Broadfoot, who arrived in New York in 1822
  • M. Broadfoot, who arrived in New York in 1822
  • David Broadfoot, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 [1]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Broadfoot migration to Australia +

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

Broadfoot Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Alexander Broadfoot, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Lilford" in 1839 [2]
  • John Broadfoot, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Camoena" in 1843 [3]
  • John Broadfoot, aged 37, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "William Stevenson" [4]

New Zealand Broadfoot 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:

Broadfoot Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Alex. Broadfoot, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd December 1870 [5]
  • Mrs H.K. Broadfoot, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd December 1870 [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Broadfoot (post 1700) +

  • John Broadfoot, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Huelva, 1884 [6]
  • Grover Lee Broadfoot (1892-1962), American Republican politician, Mayor of Mondovi, Wisconsin, 1943-47; Member of Wisconsin State Assembly, 1945-48; Justice of Wisconsin State Supreme Court, 1948-62; Appointed 1948 [6]
  • David Broadfoot GC (1899-1953), Scottish seaman awarded the George Cross for his role during the sinking of the Princess Victoria
  • Kirk Broadfoot (b. 1982), Scottish professional footballer
  • Major George Broadfoot (1807-1845), British Army officer, the eldest of three brothers who all fell in the service of their country, entered the Indian army as an ensign in the 34th regiment of Madras native infantry, in January 1826 [7]
  • Dave Broadfoot OC (1925-2016), Canadian award-winning comedian, member of the radio version of the Royal Canadian Air Farce
  • Patricia M Broadfoot (b. 1949), Vice-Chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire
  • Barry Samuel Broadfoot (1926-2003), Canadian interviewer

North Sea Flood
  • David Broadfoot, British worker aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953


  1. 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)
  2. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LADY LILFORD 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839LadyLilford.htm
  3. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CAMOENA 1843. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1843Camoena.gif
  4. South Australian Register Friday 2nd February 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) William Stevenson 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/williamstevenson1855.shtml
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019


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