Branch
A surname that can be locational, from the Wiltshire hundred called Branch, and in some cases may also reflect the ordinary word for a tree branch.
The #990 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,765 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The best-attested surname explanation in the older surname dictionaries is locational: Branch can come from the Hundred of Branch in Wiltshire, and early records show spellings such as Branche and Braunche. The place-name itself is obscure in the excerpted sources, but the surname was evidently taken from residence or association with that district. In some English surname collections, forms like Branch are also naturally linked by association with the common noun "branch," though the locational explanation is the one directly supported here.
History
The name appears in medieval records in a few spelling variants, showing that it was established as a hereditary surname by the Middle Ages. It is found in England, and later in the United States, where it is now fairly common. Because the surname can have more than one possible source, different Branch families may not be related to one another.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The old surname book by Lower explicitly lists Branch under a Wiltshire place-name, which is a good reminder that many apparently everyday surnames are actually geographic in origin.
From the historical record
“Avas assumed. BRANCH. A hundred in co. Wilts. Branche, Braunche, H. R. BRANCHFLOWER. See Blanchflower. BRAND. O. Norse hranclr, a sword, whence the 0. Eng. brand, with the same meaning. As a personal name it occurs in the genealogy of the Northumbrian kings from Woden. It was a very common old Scandinavian name…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Branch
- Michelle Branch (b. 1983)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.