The approach to discovery for the Subject above has for various reasons been held to imply that we are searching for our "Gateway-Ancestor"..a person from the Old Country who settled in the New World very early in the 1600's, 1700's etc. that Americans can connect to. In one Book titled "New Dictionary of American Family Names by Elsdon C. Smith (originally published in 1956)..keeping in mind his presentation was of a onomatologist point of view---he lists the name Breedlove. He explains that the meaning given was one that does not hold the same meaning today for us.But catorgized the name as a place-name (Dweller near a wide pool) There are several such interpretations to many other Sur Names given in this book. Also, although he lists the name as (Eng.) He explains that does not necessarily mean the Name or the person "originated" in England, etc.but rather spelled to English-language-understanding.. with a note that in his primary studies compiling this data, generally--! he had found the greater number of usages in one particular country. However, I did not find names that specifically said "America" (though the prime language in America was to be English) Elsdon C. Smith also wrote Treasury of Name Lore. The emphasis of the work is on social custom and the laws of phonetics, rather than on linguistics and etymology. Which is all to say interesting reading but not an authority source a some one-stop-resource for Sur Names. HALBERTS (highly contrversial) uses this New Dictionary of American Family Names (("This and other sources placed the name originally in England") and goes on to say that the most common variation is Bredelove...and, of course like all the other Sur Names Halberts gives a Coat of Arms (as though all Sur Names should have or do have one. Today, hardly anyone can be found to give any credit what-so-ever to Halberts. Also, at this time I'd like to include some comments from Cecil R. Humphery-Smith (Cantebury, England) (1) "I! f this is a name (Breedlove) of English origin, then the only possibility that it could come from an occupational nickname of BREADLOAF, for a baker. In this context it might have been a name taken by one of the puritan settlers in the seventeenth century." (puritan settlers--Quakers, etc.) (2) ..."we take the name (Breedlove) to be an American name solely." ( or anglicised..yet to be proved) Also note that at one time in Europe, French was the spoken language in England and many names, records, etc. were translated from Latin.( just to confuse you further) Recently, speculation has been given that Breedlove may have been a Native (Cherokee, etc.) Name..This deduction would need proof as well...and along the lines of speculation, it "could" have been a hyphenaited word: Breed-Love fashionable in that century..to include two family's... The search goes on. Regards, Willette