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Home › Baby Names Directory › Broadus

Broadus

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Broadus

Pronounced BRAW-dus /ˈbrɔː.dəs/Medium

Meaning: Broadus is a Southern American given name drawn from the surname Broadus, an English-derived family name of uncertain sense, possibly linked to 'broad' or to a place. As a first name it honoured the family surname rather than a fixed meaning, in the Southern tradition of turning surnames into given names.Low

In 30 seconds: Broadus is a Southern American given name taken from the surname Broadus, of uncertain English origin. It stayed rare (said 'BRAW-dus').
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Origin LowAmerican, English
MeaningBroadus is a Southern American given name drawn from the surname Broadus, an English-derived family name of uncertain sense, possibly linked to 'broad' or to a place. As a first name it honoured the family surname rather than a fixed meaning, in the Southern tradition of turning surnames into given names.
U.S. rank (2013)#12417 ↘ Falling
2013 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1924
Total births (all-time)≈ 905

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192419002013

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Broadus is a given name that grew out of the English-derived surname Broadus, whose exact origin is unsettled but may connect to 'broad' or to a place name. In the American South, admired surnames were often bestowed as first names, and Broadus - carried by figures such as the nineteenth-century Baptist scholar John A. Broadus - passed into given-name use this way.

Broadus was never common - only a few dozen boys a year at its faint peak in the mid-1920s, largely a Southern usage. It reads as a genuine surname-name of its region and era, and while the surname endures, the given name has faded to a rarity.

Did you know? Broadus followed the old Southern habit of turning a respected surname into a first name; the Baptist scholar John A. Broadus helped keep the family name in circulation.
Overall data confidence 40%
References - Broadus — Surname-turned-given-name; English origin uncertain; Southern US; John A. Broadus namesake

Variations

BroaddusBrodusBroadousBroadus

Nicknames

BrodyBrad

Famous Bearers

  • ★John A. Broadus (1827-1895)
    American Baptist scholar and preacher whose surname helped keep Broadus in use.

If you like Broadus…

Brody— a familiar modern surname-name of similar sound
Boyce— a fellow Southern surname-turned-given-name
Broderick— shares the Bro- opening and surname feel
Otis— another vintage Southern surname-name

Explore names like Broadus

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Broadus mean?

Broadus is a given name taken from the English-derived surname Broadus, whose exact meaning is uncertain.

How do you pronounce Broadus?

It's said BRAW-dus /ˈbrɔː.dəs/ - two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Broadus a boy or girl name?

Broadus is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Broadus?

Broadus has always been rare, a Southern surname-name most used in the early twentieth century.

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