Braddon Family History

Date this site was last edited: 16 June 2010

Braddons in British Isles 1600 - 2004

The map below of Braddon households in Great Britain in 2004 shows their current distribution.

Braddon households in 2004 telephone directories

We can see from this map that there is not an even distribution throughout Great Britain. The major concentration is in Devon and, to a lesser extent Kent. We can look at earlier maps of the distribution of the surname to see whether it is possible to identify the original location/s of the name.

Where were Braddons living 120 years earlier, in 1881?

Braddon individuals from 1881 Census

We see here the greater concentration in Cornwall and Devon, together with the London counties of Middlesex and Surrey.

Is this trend confirmed 30 years earlier, from the 1851 Census?

Braddon individuals from 1851 Census

This gives confirmation of the Braddon concentration in two centres: a) the Western counties of Devon and Cornwall and b) the London metropolis. Were these two separate original locations or was there migration from the West Country to the biggest centre of population and employment in the country?

Data from the International Genealogical Index for Braddon events firstly from 1700-1799 and then from 1600-1699 will clarify the position.

Braddon events 1700-1799 from the IGI

Here we have a clear indication that the home of the Braddon surname was in the West Country. Will this be confirmed by the data from the preceding century?

Braddon events 1600-1699 from the IGI.

By tracing backwards the distribution of the Braddon surname in Great Britain from the twenty-first to the seventeenth century, we have been able to confidently locate the origin of the Braddon surname to Devon and Cornwall.