Bracken
Usually an Irish or English surname from a place name, and sometimes linked to the bracken fern itself.
The #4,299 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 37,356 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In English use, Bracken is usually a locational surname, from a place called Bracken, especially the township in Kilnwick, East Riding of Yorkshire. The place-name itself likely refers to bracken growth, from the common word for the fern. In Irish sources, the name is also associated with Gaelic forms such as O'Bracken, though nineteenth-century writers often treated the surname as local in origin.
History
English records show the surname in the London area by the early 17th century, and Bardsley noted that the name seems to have done especially well in the United States. Irish surname lists also include Bracken, reflecting a separate Gaelic surname tradition in some cases. Because the same spelling can arise from more than one source, modern bearers may have either English locative or Irish origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley specifically remarked that Bracken had “thrived” in the United States, which is a useful clue to its later spread there.
From the historical record
“A rough common overrun with gorse, broom, bracken, &c. — Diet. Kent. Dial, p. 28. COLNE 1 (Celt.) Stony River [Celt, cat,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)