[2] Brackenfield was originally known as Brackenthwaite, which probably meant "a bracken clearing".

The suffix -thwaite is unusual in this part of the county, as it is commonly associated with more northern areas.

It is of significance etymologically as it seems to point to the existence of a small colony of Norsemen or Norwegians, separate from the incursion of the Danes.

The parish of Brackenfield was originally a township of nearby Morton.

A horse named after the village unseated its rider when competing in the 1996 Grand National.