1. Originally a Scottish surname but now also a forename [mainly US]. It was derived from Brodie Castle, on the north-east coast of Scotland, between Nairn and Forres. There is some doubt over the meaning of the original place-name but ONC considers the original Gaelic to be from "a muddy place" rather than "a steep place".

2. There is another derivation from Ashkani Jewish, derived from the place-name of Brod in Moravia or Brody in Ukraine, both being from the Slavic "ford".