Show ContentsBroady History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Broady is a name whose ancestors lived among the Picts, a tribe in ancient Scotland. The Broady family lived in the lands of Brodie, in the barony of Moray where the family at one time held territories. King Alexander III had granted their lands. Checking further we found the name was derived from the Gaelic word broth which means ditch.

Early Origins of the Broady family

The surname Broady was first found in Moray, 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 Broady family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Broady research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1311, 1386, 1466, 1550, 1617, 1645 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Broady History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Broady Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. Broady has been spelled Brodie, Brody, Brodey, Brodye, Broadie, Broffee, Broffy, Brophie, Brophey, Brothie, Brophy, Brodley, Brothy and many more.

Early Notables of the Broady family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Broady Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Broady Ranking

In the United States, the name Broady is the 13,845th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Broady family to Ireland

Some of the Broady family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


New Zealand Broady 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:

Broady Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • J. Broady, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1880 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Broady (post 1700) +

  • Will Broady, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1928 3
  • Jefferson H. Broady, American politician, Delegate to Nebraska State Constitutional Convention, 1875; District Judge in Nebraska 1st District, 1884-92 3
  • Louis Broady Nunn (1924-2004), American Republican politician, State Court Judge in Kentucky, 1953; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky, 1960 (alternate), 1972; Governor of Kentucky, 1967-71Candidate for U.S. Senator from Kentucky, 1972 4


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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