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Origin: |
Brodie is a Scottish place name in Moray, Scotland. Brodie Castle in Moray is the traditional family seat of the Brodie Clan for over 400 years, though the clan have been on the site since the 12th century. There are several theories for the origin of the place name: As a surname, Brodie not only derives from the place name, but can, in some cases, be a spelling variant of Bradie, the Scottish form of the English and Irish surnames Brady. Originally used as a nickname, the English Brady derives from the Old English brād "broad" and ēage "eye," ēg "island" or haeg "enclosure." Reaney and Wilson* have examples of Bradeye and Brodhegh in the Assize Rolls of Durham and Bedfordshire, and Brody and Brodeie in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire and Nottingham in the 13th century. The Irish Brady is thought to derive from the Irish Gaelic bragha "chest" which may have been used as a nickname for someone broad-chested. MacLysaght* cites Brodie as the Scottish form of the Irish (O)Brollaghan which itself derives from the Old Irish name Brollach (from OI brollach "breast, chest"), |
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Usage: |
Clan Brodie is an old one in Scotland, though much of their early records were destroyed when Brodie Castle was burned down in 1645. It is thought that they have Pictish ancestry, especially given the evidence of Pictish settlements in Moray. Like most surnames, Brodie began to get used as a given name in the 18th century, usually as an adoption of a family surname or godparent's surname.
For the most part, this use as a given name represents Brodie being used as a middle name, generally because it was the mother's maiden name. For the most part, Brodie was masculine in use as a given name, but there are a handful of records for girls. Usage in Scotland Records for Brodie as a first name in the Scotland's statutory birth records:
The spelling Brody was only registered once as a first name, in 1871. During the 1970s and 1980s, Brodie remained uncommon, but it began to see a rise in the late 1990s and seeing a marked rise after 2001. Brodie first entered the top 100 for boys in Scotland in 2005 at #95 (64 births) and reached the top 50 in 2013. It peaked in 2015 at #31 with 193 births and, in 2017, ranked #32 with 170 births. The spelling Brody has always been less common in Scotland, not ranking at all as a first name until the early 1990s. It, too, saw a steep rise from 2005, peaking at #96 (73 births) in 2014 -- the only time it has been in the top 100. Both Brodie and Brody have also been used for girls in Scotland, though in smaller numbers. Brodie managed to reach a peak of #183 (25 births) in 2005 -- the same year that Brody peaked for boys and Brodie reached the top 100 for the first time. In 2017, Brodie ranked #570 with 5 births while Brody was not registered. Usage in England and Wales Records for Brodie as a first name in the England and Wales Birth Index:
Brodie was rare as a given in England and Wales in the 19th century and Brody was completely unused. Brodie only became more established in the 1970s, and so too, the spelling Brody also saw some use.
This changed after 2007 (when they both ranked #458 jointly) after which time Brody took over in England and Wales as the dominant spelling. Both Brody and Brodie have continued to rise ever since, and in 2017, Brodie ranked #222 with 240 births, and Brody ranked #151 with 380 births in England and Wales. As in Scotland, Brodie/Brody has also seen some usage for girls. Brodie is the most common spelling for girls in E&W, peaking at #367 (93 births) in 2002. Brody is rarer, and has never been above the top 1000. It peaked in 2004 at #1383. Both spellings have declined for girls since their peak. In 2017, Brodie ranked #1628 with 19 births, and Brody ranked #4763 with 4 births in England and Wales. Elsewhere Long before it reached the top 100 in its native Scotland, Brodie was a hit in Australia from the early 1990s. Brodie reached #79 in 1994 in Australia and then ranked in the top 100 from 1994 till 2000. It dipped below the top 100 twice, returning for one year in 2003 (at #83) and again from 2006 to 2008. Similarly, Brody ranked in the Canadian top 100 from 2004 to 2014, peaking at #61 in 2008. Catching on a little later, in America, Brody reached the top 100 first in 2008 when it jumped from #105 to #70. It has since seen a decline to #152. |
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Famous Bearers: |
History: * Brodie McGhie Willcox (1786–1862), Liberal Party MP and the co-founder of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company. Contemporary: * Brodie Greer, American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Brodie Bruce, character played by Jason Lee in the film Mallrats. |
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Variants: |
Brody, Brodey, Brodee |
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Pronunciation: |
BRŌ-dee [key] |
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Possible longer forms: |
Broderick, Broden |
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Sibling Names: |
Isla Freya Orla Layla Maisie Esme |
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Name Lists: |
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Thanks to Gemma for requesting this name.
