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ArchivesRe: Do you know the meaning of this name?
in reply to a message by Dana
While my first reaction would have been that this is a trendy variation on the name "Braden", further research turned up the following:
BRAY: English. Habitation name from places in Berkshire and Devon. The former is probably so called from Old French "bray" ("marsh"), the later from the Cornish element "bre" ("hill").
And, of course, the suffix "ton" on an English surname generally means "town".
So, presumably, the name "Brayton" could either mean "one from the marsh-town" or "one from the hill town".
-- Nanaea
BRAY: English. Habitation name from places in Berkshire and Devon. The former is probably so called from Old French "bray" ("marsh"), the later from the Cornish element "bre" ("hill").
And, of course, the suffix "ton" on an English surname generally means "town".
So, presumably, the name "Brayton" could either mean "one from the marsh-town" or "one from the hill town".
-- Nanaea
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Replies
Aside from the Old English Braden (broad hill or valley) it is also apparently an anglicized spelling of Celtic name Braidan (including some unique Gaelic punctuation marks not shown here) which means salmon. It is found in Irish and the Scottish form of the ancient Irish language. It is a name found among many immigrants to America from Ireland, although many of them may have been of English descent and hence had the Old English name. The change in spelling is very common for Celtic names, with their unusual patterns of spelling (for example Kelly was originally Ceallaigh.)
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The name "Braden" has, as far as my own research goes, two origins.
The first is Anglo-Saxon for a broad hillside or broad valley or just broad. The second is an anglicized version of an Irish name "Braidan" or "Bradan" or " O'Braidan". It is derived from the gaelic word for salmon. My own genealogic research has lots of Bradens from Ireland, but this should not be seen as an indication that it is Irish, since there are lots of English names in Ireland just as there are lots of Irish names in England and Scotland. It is important to trace individual history and not rely on generalizations about names. Good luck.
The first is Anglo-Saxon for a broad hillside or broad valley or just broad. The second is an anglicized version of an Irish name "Braidan" or "Bradan" or " O'Braidan". It is derived from the gaelic word for salmon. My own genealogic research has lots of Bradens from Ireland, but this should not be seen as an indication that it is Irish, since there are lots of English names in Ireland just as there are lots of Irish names in England and Scotland. It is important to trace individual history and not rely on generalizations about names. Good luck.
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Braden is both from Old English meaning broad valley and, independently, from the Irish/Gaelic word for salmon, "braidan". Braden is an anglicized spelling of it. I keep looking to find where the origins are for my family.
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