The surname of Bradford comes from the Old English term ‘brad’ which meant broad and the ‘ford’ which was a ford. Variations for Bradford include Bradforth, Braidford, Bradeford and Bradforde. In England many with the Bradford surname reside in Derbyshire, Lancashire, Somerset, Norfolk, Dorset and Devonshire counties. In Scotland the Bradford families mostly originated in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Wigtownshire and Renfrewshire counties. Within the United States, Bradford families are across the eastern half of the country. The states with the higher percentage of Bradford families are California, Texas, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Maryland. Famous: Chad Bradford (professional baseball player), William Bradford (Arctic explorer), Jesse Bradford (actor), Arthur Bradford (film writer and director), David Bradford (associated with the Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790s) and Sam Bradford (professional football player).