Show ContentsBradfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Bradfield Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Bradfield

What does the name Bradfield mean?

The family claims Suffolk as their ancient homestead, but parishes named Bradfield can be found in "Berkshire, Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk, and smaller localities." 1 The oldest of the parishes was in Berkshire which was traced back to Saxon times when it was recorded as Bradanfeld c. 990-992. The place names literally mean "broad field of open land," from the Old English word "brad" + "feld." 2

Early Origins of the Bradfield family

The surname Bradfield was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Bradfield. Conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Bradfield held by the Count of Mortain, his man Falk, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. 3 It was taxed for 80 goats. The original village is now three separate villages.

Early rolls show Richard de Bradefeld at Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk 1182-1198 and William de Bradefield in the Feet of Fines for Essex 1256-1257. Much later, we found Thomas Bradfield in Northamptonshire in 1454. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 includes entries for: Cecile de Bradefeld, Suffolk; Robert de Bradfeld, Suffolk; and Walter de Bradfeld, Suffolk. 1 In Wiltshire, the earliest entry for the family is William de Bradefel who held lands Henry III-Edward I, according to the Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum 5 In Somerset, early rolls there show Richard de Bradfelde, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward I. ) 6

Early History of the Bradfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bradfield research. Another 166 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1045, 1182, 1277, 1278, 1283, 1424, 1505, 1510, 1535, 1600, 1750, 1805, 1825, 1826 and 1852 are included under the topic Early Bradfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bradfield Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bradfield, Bradfeld, Bradfeild, Breadfield and others.

Early Notables of the Bradfield family

  • John Bradfield (or John de Bradfield), a medieval Bishop of Rochester believed to have come from Bradfield in Berkshire. He was a monk of Rochester Cathedral and precentor of Rochester before he was e...
  • Henry Joseph Steels Bradfield (1805-1852), was an English "surgeon and author, born on 18 May 1805 in Derby Street, Westminster, where his father, Thomas Bradfield, was a coal merchant. Whilst still u...

Bradfield Ranking

the United States, the name Bradfield is the 8,000th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Bradfield migration to the United States +



Bradfield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Bradfield, who arrived in Arkansas in 1893 8

Bradfield migration to Canada +

Bradfield Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Henry Bradfield, who landed in Canada in 1816

Bradfield migration to Australia +

Bradfield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Bradfield, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. Thomas Bradfield, British Convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
  • William Bradfield, aged 34, a wheelwright, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Steadfast" 11

Bradfield 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:

Bradfield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • R Bradfield, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • Robert Bradfield, aged 34, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adelaide" in 1858 12
  • Sarah Bradfield, aged 31, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adelaide" in 1858 12
  • Sarah Bradfield, aged 11, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adelaide" in 1858 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Bradfield (post 1700) +

  • Marjorie Adele Blackistone Bradfield (1911-1999), American librarian who worked at the Detroit Public Library and Detroit Public Schools, the first African-American librarian hired at the Detroit Public Library
  • Roger Martin Bradfield (1924-2022), American children's books writer, illustrator, cartoonist, painter, and world traveller
  • Henry Joseph Steele Bradfield (1805-1852), English surgeon and author, born on 18 May 1805 in Derby Street, Westminster, where his father, Thomas Bradfield, was a coal merchant 13
  • James Dean Bradfield (b. 1969), English rock singer and lead guitarist
  • Mr. Robert Andrew Richard Bradfield M.B.E., British Hydrographic Surveyor, appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Navigation and Maritime Safety on the West Coast of Scotland 14
  • Andrew "Andy" Bradfield (1966-2001), New Zealand computer programmer best known for his work on games for the Atari 8-bit series of computers
  • Gary E Bradfield, Associate Professor of Botany at the University of British Columbia
  • John Ross Bradfield (1899-1983), Canadian mining engineer, president and chief executive officer of Noranda Mines Limited (1956-68)
  • John Job Crew Bradfield (1867-1943), Australian civil engineer, creator of the Bradfield Scheme, an inland irrigation project
  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
  6. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. 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)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  11. South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STEADFAST 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/steadfast1852.shtml
  12. Shadow Time Settlers (Retrieved 5th November 2010), retrieved from http://shadowsoftime.co.nz/settlers.html
  13. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019
  14. "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

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