Breckenridge (surname)

This article is about the surname Breckenridge. For other uses, see Breckenridge.

Breckenridge

Language(s)	Old Norse
Origin
Meaning	"from Brackenrig"
Region of origin	Scotland
Other names
Related names	Breckinridge

Breckenridge is a locational Scottish surname, referring to a person from a place named Breckenridge. There are several villages in Scotland named "Brackenrig", including in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Glasgow, and others. "Brackenrig" referred to plowed fields with ridges and ferns, prolific in this area. The prefix derives from braken (northern Middle English, meaning "bracken", itself derived from the Old Norse brækni). The suffix derives from rigg (meaning "ridge", from the Old Norse hryggr). Early spellings had several variations including Brecenrigg, Brecenrig, Breckinrigg, Breconrig, Breconnrigg; and these evolved to Brackenridge, Breakenridge, Breakinridge, Breckenridge, Breccinridge, Breckenridge, and others. As people moved, the surname spread to England and Ireland, becoming a common English and Irish surname as well. At the time of the British Census of 1881 [1], the frequency of the surname Breckenridge was highest in Ayrshire (66.2 times the British average), followed by Haddingtonshire, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Stirlingshire, Pembrokeshire, Argyll, Kirkcudbrightshire, Edinburghshire and Dunbartonshire. People with the surname include:

• Alex Breckenridge (born 1982), American film and television actress
• Beverly Breckenridge (b.?), Canadian musician
• Donald Breckenridge (1932 - 2005) American, hotel chain founder and president
• Eddie Breckenridge (b.?), American, bassist with Thrice; younger brother of Riley Breckenridge
• Jody A. Breckenridge (b.?), American Coast Guard Rear Admiral
• Laura Breckenridge (born 1983), American actress
• Lisa Breckenridge (b?), American, TV reporter
• Michael Breckenridge (b.?), American actor, musician, humorist and artist
• Patricia Breckenridge (b.?), American, Judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri
• Riley Breckenridge (born 1975), American, drummer with Thrice; older brother of Eddie Breckenridge

See also

• Breckinridge