Bradford Family History

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Bradford Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of the many places, large and small, called Bradford; in particular the city in West Yorkshire, which originally rose to prosperity as a wool town. There are others in Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Greater Manchester, Norfolk, Somerset, and elsewhere. They are all named with Old English brad ‘broad’ + ford ‘ford’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Radford, Branford, Trafford, Crawford, Blandford, Cranford, Bamford

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Bradford Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Bradford name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Bradford. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    50%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    17%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Cameroon, Congo, & Southern Bantu Peoples

    5%

  • Benin/Togo

    4%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Bradford Family Origin

Where is the Bradford family from?

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1840
    1920
    You can see how Bradford families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bradford family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bradford families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 108 Bradford families living in Massachusetts. This was about 12% of all the recorded Bradford's in the USA. Massachusetts had the highest population of Bradford families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bradford surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Bradford

    Bradford Family Occupations

    What did your Bradford ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, the most common Bradford occupation in the USA was Farmer. 36% of Bradford's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Bradford family was Farming. Farmer, Laborer and Keeping House were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Bradford.

    View Census data for Bradford | Data not to scale

    • Farmer

      36%

    • Laborer

      8%

    • Keeping House

      7%

    • Farming

      4%

    Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Bradford ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

    Bradford Historical Records

    What Bradford family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 343,000 census records available for the last name Bradford. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bradford census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

    Search 1940's US census records for Bradford

    Passenger List

    There are 25,000 immigration records available for the last name Bradford. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

    View all Bradford immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 60,000 military records available for the last name Bradford. For the veterans among your Bradford ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Bradford military records

    You've only scratched the surface of Bradford family history.

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    Bradford Life Expectancy

    What is the average Bradford lifespan?

    Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Bradford life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Bradford in 1940 was 33, and 73 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bradford

    An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bradford ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

    Famous Bradford Family Ancestors

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