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Broome History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Broome History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Broome family first reached the shores of England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Their name is derived 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 Broome family

The surname Broome 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 Broome family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Broome 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 Broome History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Broome Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Broome, Broom, Brome and others.

Early Notables of the Broome 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...

Broome Ranking

In the United States, the name Broome is the 2,866^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4

Broome migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Broome or a variant listed above:

Broome Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Marie Broome, aged 10, who landed in New England in 1635 5
Mr. Roger Broome, (b. 1618), aged 17, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Truelove" arriving in Massachusetts Bay in 1635 6
Lucretia Broome, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 5

Broome Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Broome of Yorkshire, who settled in New York in 1732
Sarah and Francis Broome, who settled in Maryland in 1775

Broome migration to Australia +

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

Broome Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Broome, English convict from Worcester, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on November 13, 1832, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. John Broome, English convict who was convicted in Knutsford (Nether Knutsford), Cheshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 30th June 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 8
Mr. George Broome, (b. 1823), aged 29, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 27th August 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 9

Broome 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:

Broome Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Broome, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Solent" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th July 1857 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Broome (post 1700) +

Jerry Broome (b. 1966), American actor
Harvey Broome (1902-1968), American lawyer, writer and conservationist
Lieutenant Colonel John Lloyd Broome (1824-1898), United States Marine Corps officer during the Mexican-American War
James Broome (1808-1883), American Democratic politician, governor of Florida from 1853-1857
John Dozier Broome (d. 1898), American politician, Delegate to Florida State Constitutional Convention, 1885; Circuit Judge in Florida, 1887-98 11
John Broome (1738-1810), American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County, 1800-02; Member of New York State Senate Southern District, 1803-04; Lieutenant Governor of New York, 1804-10 11
James R. Broome, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Keyser, West Virginia, 1962-64 (acting, 1962-64) 11
James Emilius Broome (1808-1883), American Democratic Party politician, Merchant; Planter; Lawyer; Probate judge in Florida, 1843-48; Governor of Florida, 1853-57; Member of Florida State Senate, 1861 11
James E. Broome, American politician, Member of Florida State Senate, 1897 11
George Broome, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Mogador, 1898 11
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Broome family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. Athol Frederick Broome (d. 1912), aged 30, English Verandah Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 12

USS Arizona

Mr. Loy Raymond Broome, American Signalman Third Class from Oklahoma, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 13

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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 6th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Andromeda voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1832 with 186 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1832
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html