Recorded as Broddow, Brodeau, Brodeu, Brodeur, Brodu, Broder, Broders, Brodeers, and no doubt others, this is a surname of French origins which has been recorded in England in the above spellings since the 17th century. It is a classic Huguenot protestant refugee surname, being that of a skilled occupation. As an occupation its original spelling in France was as brodeur or the female brodeuse, describing an embroiderer, probably of silk. The Dictionnaire Etymologique des noms de France, describes it as being an ancient name, and probably from Flanders. Unfortunately the great majority of French records were deliberately destroyed by the revolutionaries of 1792 as being instruments of the secret police, however by some miracle of survival we have the early recording of Nicolas Brodeur at the Reformed Church, Badonviller, Meuthe-et-Moselle, on September 24th 1568. Early examples of recordings in England include those of Jean Broders at the church of St Mary the Virgin, Aldermary, on September 27th 1635, Isaac Brodeu at the French Huguenot church known as La Patente in Soho, on December 11th 1692.

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