Broughton () is an English surname and placename. It has two claimed origins as a name.

As a placename

According to M. Leon Broughton, author of ''Broughton Memoirs'' (1962, Second Edition): "The name Broughton is often derived from the

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

"Broc", which means brook or broken land; and "Tun", the dwelling or town. In King Ethelred’s charter to the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, Wiltshire, Salisbury and north-northeast of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hi ...

, England, 1001 AD, Elfwig’s boundaries at Broctun are mentioned. The ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

'' of

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

, 1086 AD, describes thirty-four manors of Broctun, variously Latinized by the clerks of the records to: Brochthon, Brocton, Brotton, Broton, Brogton, and Broughton, perhaps according to the pronunciation peculiar to the localities where the manors where situated. Later the spelling of Broughton seems to have generally been adopted. There are about twenty distinct

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es besides hamlets and different localities in England that bear the name; and it is locally applied to a small parish in Canada, to an island in the Alatamaha river in Georgia, and also occurs in the states of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, Texas, and some of the

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

states." Broughton may also come from an Old English word meaning 'stronghold'. It may also be derived from "berg" (a hill), and "ton" (a town), both Saxon words. This is the case in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, England. At this Broughton, the mound is near the west end of the village and may have been the site of a Roman station Pretorium from about 400 AD. Many

Roman coins Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum#Numismatics, orichalcum and copper coinage. From its introduction during the Roman Republic, Republic, in the third century BC, through Roman Empire, Imperial ...

, bricks, tiles and other artifacts have been found in the area. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the name appears as ''Bertone''. 'A Dictionary of English Place-Names'', A. D. Mills, Oxford University Press, 1991]

Places

Broughton as a surname

People

Notable people with the surname include: *Alan Broughton (1936–2013), American poet *Alfred Broughton (1902–1979), British politician * Alice Willson Broughton (1889–1980), First Lady of North Carolina * Andrew Broughton (1602/3 – 1687), English jurist *

Bruce Broughton Bruce Harold Broughton (born March 8, 1945) is an American orchestral composer of television, film, and video game scores and concert works. He has composed several highly acclaimed soundtracks over his extensive career and has contributed many ...

(born 1945), American composer * Carrie Lougee Broughton (1879–1957), American librarian * Celeste Gold Broughton (1925–2022), American socialite and writer *

Cortez Broughton Cortez A. Broughton (born September 2, 1996) is an American professional American football, football defensive tackle. He played college football at Cincinnati Bearcats football, Cincinnati. Professional career Los Angeles Chargers Broughton was ...

(born 1997), American football player * David Thomas Broughton (born 1981), English folk & experimental musician * Drewe Broughton (born 1978), English footballer *

Gayle Broughton Gayle Broughton (born 5 June 1996) is a New Zealand rugby league player, beginning her NRLW career at the Parramatta Eels Women, Parramatta Eels in June 2022, where she played one season prior to joining the Brisbane Broncos in 2023. She formerl ...

(born 1996), New Zealand rugby player * Greg Broughton (born 1986), Australian Rules Footballer * Hugh Broughton (1549–1612), English scholar and theologian * Irving Broughton (living), American publisher, writer, filmmaker, and teacher *

Jack Broughton John "Jack" Broughton ( – 8 January 1789) was an English people, English Bare-knuckle boxing, bare-knuckle boxer. He was the first person to codify a set of boxing rules; prior to this the "rules" that existed were very loosely defined and t ...

(1703–1789), English bare-knuckle fighter * Jack Broughton (RAF officer) (died 1923), British Royal Air Force officer *

James Broughton James Broughton (November 10, 1913 – May 17, 1999) was an American poet and poetic filmmaker. He was part of the San Francisco Renaissance, a precursor to the Beat poets. Broughton was an early bard of the Radical Faeries, as well as a member ...

(1913–1999), American poet and poetic filmmaker * Jodie Broughton (born 1988), English rugby player * John Broughton (born 1952), Australian astronomer * Joseph Melville Broughton (1888–1949), governor of North Carolina * Len G. Broughton (1865–1936), American evangelical and author * Luther Broughton (born 1974), American football player * Matthew Broughton (1880–1957), English footballer * Mel Broughton (born 1960), British animal rights activist * Needham B. Broughton (1848–1914), American businessman and politician * Nehemiah Broughton (born 1982), American football player * Peter Broughton (born 1935), English cricketer *

Rhoda Broughton Rhoda Broughton (29 November 1840 – 5 June 1920) was a Welsh literature in English, Welsh novelist and short story writer.Robert Hadji, "Rhoda Broughton" in Jack Sullivan (literary scholar), Jack Sullivan (ed) (1986) ''The Penguin Encyclopedia ...

(1840–1920), Welsh novelist * Richard Broughton (priest) (c. 1558 – 1634), English Catholic priest and antiquarian * Richard Broughton (MP) (1524–1604), English politician *

Rob Broughton Rob Broughton (born 3 March 1983) is an English former mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor between 2004 and 2015, Broughton is a former British Cage Rage heavyweight champion and has also co ...

(born 1983), English mixed martial arts fighter * Sir Robert Broughton (died 1506), landowner, soldier and MP for Suffolk * Robert Broughton (activist) (born 1950), Canadian computer programmer and activist * Robert Broughton (cricketer) (1816–1911), English cricketer * Robyn Broughton (1943–2023), New Zealand netball coach * Roger Broughton, Canadian comic book publisher * Roger Broughton (1958–2004), New Zealand cricketer * Spence Broughton (c. 1746–1792), English highwayman * Ted Broughton (1925–2016), English footballer * T.R.S. Broughton (1900–1993), Canadian classical scholar * Urban H. Broughton (1857–1929), English engineer, railroad executive, and politician * Vernon Broughton (born 2001), American football player *

Viv Broughton Viv Broughton (born 24 May 1943) is a British studio owner, music entrepreneur and writer, who is CEO of The Premises Studios, described by ''London Jazz News'' as "a vitally important and popular London recording and rehearsal venue". A one-tim ...

(born 1943), British studio owner and music executive * William R. Broughton (1762–1821), British naval officer * Bishop William Broughton (1788–1853), Australian religious leader * Willie Broughton (born 1964), American football player

Peerage

It is also used as part of the title of some British Peers and

baronets A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 1 ...

. * Baron Marks of Broughton * Baron Broughton * Broughton baronets

Fictional characters

* Lorraine Broughton, the titular character from the 2017 film ''

Atomic Blonde ''Atomic Blonde'' is a 2017 American action thriller film directed by David Leitch (receiving his first credit as feature film director) from a screenplay by Kurt Johnstad, based on the 2012 graphic novel ''The Coldest City'' by Antony Johns ...

'' and its 2012 comic origin " The Coldest City"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Broughton English-language surnames English toponymic surnames