Broadbent
A northern English surname meaning “at the broad bend” or “wide curve” in the landscape.
The #9,066 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,644 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Broadbent is a topographic surname built from broad + bent, where bent is an old word for a bend or curve, especially in a road, river, or piece of ground. In this sense, the name originally meant someone who lived by a broad bend in the land. Some 19th-century writers also connected bent with rough grass, but the locational “broad bend” explanation is the standard one for this surname.
History
The name is strongly associated with northern England, especially Yorkshire and the Saddleworth area on the Yorkshire-Lancashire border. Historical records in the sources place Broadbents in Saddleworth and nearby districts from at least the late 16th century. It remains a relatively uncommon surname today, but it has a clear regional English character.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname writers even tried to identify the exact “broad bend” behind the name, though the precise spot was hard to pin down.
From the historical record
“Wakelield D>r„ i ; Philadelpbia, a. Broadbent. — Local, 'at the broad bent,' Le. the broad bend in the land (v. Bent). The precise spot 1 cannot find. It is, or was, undoubtedly In South-East Lane, on the borders of Yorks., and”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instancesNotable people named Broadbent
- Jim Broadbent (b. 1949)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.