Bradley (surname) explained

Bradley is an English surname derived from a placename meaning "broad wood" or "broad meadow" in Old English.^[1]

It is also an Anglicisation of the Irish name Ó Brolacháin (also O’Brallaghan) from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. The family moved and spread to counties Londonderry, Donegal and Cork, and England.^[2]

Like many English surnames, Bradley can also be used as a given name.

Notable people with the surname include

• A. C. Bradley (Andrew Cecil Bradley, 1851–1935), English Shakespearean scholar
• A. C. Bradley (screenwriter), an American screenwriter
• Abraham Bradley Jr. (1767–1838), first Assistant Postmaster-General of the U.S.
• Amy Lynn Bradley (born 1974), an American woman who disappeared during a Caribbean cruise
• Andrew M. Bradley (1906–1983), American accountant and public official
• Ann Weaver Bradley (1834–1913), American educator, temperance worker and writer
• Archie Bradley (baseball) (born 1992), American baseball player
• Arthur Granville Bradley (1850–1943), English author
• Avery Bradley (born 1990), American basketball player
• Bill Bradley (born 1943), American basketball player, Rhodes scholar, and former US senator from New Jersey
• Bill Bradley (baseball) (1878–1954), American baseball player and manager
• Bob Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Boo Bradley (1972–2016), stage name of American professional wrestler Jonathan Rechner, also known as Balls Mahoney
• Brian Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Bruce Bradley (born 1947), American water polo player
• Carter Bradley (born 2000), American football player
• Celeste Bradley, American author of romance novels
• Charles Bradley (singer) (1948–2017), American R&B, funk, and soul singer
• Charlotte Bradley (athlete) (born 1952), Mexican runner
• Craig Bradley (born 1963), Australian rules footballer
• Dan Beach Bradley (1804–1873), American Protestant missionary to Siam
• Dana Bradley (died 1981), Canadian murder victim
• Daniel Bradley (politician) (1833–1908), New York politician
• Daniel Joseph Bradley (1928–2010), Irish physicist
• David W. Bradley, computer game designer and programmer
• Ed Bradley (1941–2006), American journalist
• Eduardo Bradley (1887–1951), Argentine aviator
• Eli Bradley (1883–1964), English footballer
• Elizabeth Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Ella J. Bradley-Hughley (1889–1918), American operatic soprano soloist and choir director.
• Eoin Bradley (born 1983), Irish Gaelic footballer, plays for Derry
• Evelyne Bradley (1925–2013), American judge
• Evalie A. Bradley (born 1954), Anguillian politician
• F. H. Bradley (Francis Herbert Bradley, 1846–1924), British idealist philosopher
• Foghorn Bradley (George H. Bradley, 1855–1900), American baseball umpire
• Gene Bradley (born 1957), American football player
• George Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Gerald A. Bradley (1927–2005), American businessman and politician
• Gwendolyn Bradley (born 1949), American soprano
• Henry Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Herbert Bradley (1887–1918), English footballer
• Hunter Bradley (American football) (born 1994), American football player
• Jackie Bradley Jr. (born 1990), American baseball player
• Jaden Bradley (born 2003), American basketball player
• Ja'Marcus Bradley (born 1996), American football player
• James Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Jean-Claude Bradley (died 2014), American open science chemist
• Jeb Bradley (Joseph E. Bradley, born 1952), New Hampshire politician
• Jerand Bradley (born 2002), American football player
• Jessica "Jess" Bradley, the protégé/scapegoat of James Stillwell in the comic series The Boys
• Joe Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• John Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Joseph Bradley (died 1671), English buccaneer
• Joseph P. Bradley (1813–1892), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court 1870–1892
• Joshua Bradley (born 1992), English YouTuber
• Kaliane Bradley (born 1988), English writer and editor
• Karen Bradley (born 1970), British politician
• Katie Bradley (born 2001), English footballer
• Keegan Bradley (born 1986), American golfer
• Kepler Bradley (born 1985), Australian rules footballer with Essendon Bombers and Fremantle Dockers
• Lewis R. Bradley (1805–1879), American politician, the second Governor of Nevada
• Lewis Bradley (1889–1918), English rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s and 1910s
• Liam Bradley (Gaelic footballer), Irish Gaelic football manager
• Loretta Bradley (born 1933), American psychologist
• Luther Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930–1999), American science fiction author
• Mark Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Martin Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Mary Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Matt Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Mick Bradley (1947–1972), British blues-rock drummer
• Milton Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Minnie Lou Bradley (1931–2025), American rancher and cattlewoman
• Nellie H. Bradley (c.1838–1927), American writer of plays and songs in support of the temperance movement
• Nina Bradley (boxer) (born 1987), British boxer
• Omar Bradley (1893–1981), U.S. general
• Paddy Bradley (born 1981), Irish Gaelic footballer, plays for Derry
• Percy Bradley (1887–1967), English footballer
• Peter Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Provine Bradley (1907–1986), American Negro league baseball player
• Rebecca Bradley (1905–1950), American bandit
• Reginald Bradley (1873–1922), Canadian ice hockey player
• Robert Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Ruth Bradley Holmes (1924–2021), American linguist, educator, and polyglot
• Ryan Bradley (born 1983), American figure skater
• Scott Bradley (baseball) (born 1960), American baseball player and coach
• Shaun Bradley (born 1997), American football player
• Shawn Bradley (born 1972), retired American basketball player
• Stephen Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Steve Bradley (1975–2008), American professional wrestler
• Stewart Bradley (born 1983), retired American football player
• Tom Bradley (disambiguation), several people named Thomas or Tom
• W. C. Bradley (William Clark Bradley, 1863–1947), American entrepreneur and Coca-Cola chairman
• Will H. Bradley (1868–1962), American Art Nouveau illustrator and artist
• William Bradley (disambiguation), several people
• Wilmot Hyde Bradley (1899–1979), American geologist
• Yasemin Bradley, Turkish female physician specialized as nutritionist and dietitian, also a television presenter and writer

See also

• Bradly
• Bradlee

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Name Bradley – Origin and Meaning of Bradley . Male & Female Names: A Dictionary of Names. Name Meanings & Name Origins (MFnames.com) . 1 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183225/http://www.mfnames.com/mfnames/b/origin-and-meaning-of-bradley.htm . 3 March 2016 . dead .
2. Web site: Ó Brolcháin - Irish Names and Surnames. www.libraryireland.com. 2019-03-23.