Origin and popularity of the name FORD

Colford : English (Lancashire and North Yorkshire): habitational name from either of two places called Coleford in Somerset and Gloucestershire which are named with Old English col ‘(char)coal’ + ford ‘ford’.

Comerford : 1: Irish (Kilkenny): shortened Anglicized and altered form of Gaelic Mac Cumascaigh ‘son of Cumascach’ a byname from cumascach ‘mixer confuser’. See also Comiskey.2: English: habitational name from Comberford in Staffordshire so named with the Old English personal name Cumbra (originally an ethnic name for a British Celt) or from the genitive plural of the tribal name meaning ‘of the British’ + Old English ford ‘ford’.

Cornforth : English (North Yorkshire and Durham): habitational name from Cornforth in County Durham named with Old English corn a metathesized form of cron cran ‘crane’ (see Crane) + ford ‘ford’.

Cotsford : from Cottisford (Oxon) which is recorded as Cotesforde in 1086. The place-name derives from the Old English personal name *Cott (genitive *Cottes) + Old English ford ‘shallow place by which water can be crossed ford’.

Coxford : from Coxford (Norfolk) which is recorded as Kokesford in 1203. The place-name derives from Old English cocc ‘wild bird cock’ *cocc ‘heap hill’ or an Old English personal name Cocc + Old English ford ‘ford shallow place by which water can be crossed’.

Cranford : English: habitational name from any of several places called Cranford for example in the counties of Devon Middlesex Essex and Northamptonshire (Cranford Saint Andrew and Cranford Saint John) named with Old English cran ‘crane’ + ford ‘ford’.

Crawford : Scottish and English: habitational name from any of various places called Crawford primarily the one in Lanarkshire (Scotland) and possibly also from the one in Lancashire. Both are named in Old English with crāwe ‘crow’ + ford ‘ford’.

Crisford : from a lost or as yet unidentified place named from Middle English cresse ‘cress’ + ford ‘river-crossing’ probably near the border of Sussex and Kent.

Crockford : English: habitational name from Crockford Bridge in the parish of Chertsey Surrey. The placename is of uncertain origin; the first element may be Old English croc(ca) ‘pot’ used of a hollow in the ground or of a place where potsherds were found; the second is Old English ford ‘ford’.

Danford : 1: English: habitational name possibly from Danesford near Bridgnorth (Shropshire) originally derne ford ‘hidden ford’ but appearing as Danford in 1612. Accordingly it might be from any of several other places whose names have the same origin including: Darnford in Suffolk Great Durnford in Wiltshire or Dernford Farm in Sawston Cambridgeshire.2: English: variant of Denford a habitational name apparently from an unidentified place in Devon or alternatively from Denford (Northamptonshire) or Denford House in Kintbury (Berkshire).3: English: in southeastern England a variant of Dennard.4: English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Damfront (now Domfront) in Orne France.

Dartford : from Dartford (Kent) which is recorded as Darenteford in the 12th century. The place takes its name from the river Darent (from Proto-Welsh *derwïnt ‘oak tree river’) + Old English ford ‘shallow place by which water can be crossed ford’.

Deford : 1: Altered form of French Dufort.2: English: variant of Difford a habitational name from one or more of the places called from a ‘deep ford’ (Middle English dep + ford Old English dēop + ford) such as Defford (Worcestershire) Deptford (Kent) a lost Defford in Stanley (Yorkshire) and Dipper in Whitstone (Cornwall).

Denford : 1: apparently from an unidentified place in Devon perhaps (if the 1330 bearer really belongs here) from the lost place called Deneworthy in Membury which is recorded as Deneord in 1086. If so the surname exhibits the common interchange of -worth(y) and -ford. The place-name derives from Old English denu ‘valley’ + worð worðig ‘enclosure’. 2: from Denford (Northants) which is recorded as Deneforde in 1086 or Denford House in Kintbury (Berks) recorded as Denforda in the 10th century. Both place-names mean ‘ford in a valley’ from Old English denu ‘valley’ + ford ‘ford river-crossing’.

Dennard : English (Kent and Sussex): habitational name from Denwood Street in Crundale (Kent). Medieval records reveal the name's derivation from Old English denu ‘valley’ + ford ‘ford river-crossing’. Compare Denard.

Difford : from one or more of the places named from a ‘deep ford’ (Middle English dep + ford Old English dēop + ford) such as Defford (Worcs) Deptford (Kent) a lost Defford in Stanley (WR Yorks) and Dipper in Whitstone (Cornwall).

Duez : French and Walloon: topographic name with fused preposition and definite article du ‘from the’ for someone who lived near a ford Old French wez (Walloon wé) or a habitational name for someone from Le Wez the name of several places in the northern part of France and in Belgium (Wallonia) named with the same word. Compare Duet 1 and Duhe.

Dugue : French (Dugué): topographic name for someone who lived by a ford gué (see Gue 2) or a habitational name from Le Gué the name of several places in the northern part of France. It is formed with fused preposition and definite article du ‘from the’. This surname is also found in Haiti.

Dunford : English:: 1: habitational name from Dunford Bridge in Thurlstone (Yorkshire) so called from the river Don (a British name possibly meaning ‘river’) + Old English ford ‘ford’ or from Dunford House in Methley (Yorkshire) named in Old English as ‘Dunn's ford’ (see Dunn 2).2: variant of Durnford a habitational name from Durnford in Wiltshire arising from Old English dierne + ford ‘hidden ford’. Alternatively the name may perhaps arise from Dunford alias Durnford in Addlestone (Surrey).

Dunsford : English: habitational name from Dunsford in Devon from the genitive case of the Old English personal name Dunn (see Dunn) + Old English ford ‘ford’. Although Dunsforth in Yorkshire also gave rise to the surname it appears not to have survived the medieval period.

Durnford : English: habitational name from Durnford in Wiltshire which was named in Old English as ‘the hidden ford’ (dierne ford). It could also be from a similarly named place (also called Dunford) in Addlestone Surrey.

Easterford : from Easterford now Kelvedon Bridge in Kelvedon (Essex) or ‘dweller by the eastern ford’ (Old English ēasterne + ford).

Eckford : Scottish and northern English: habitational name from a place in Roxburghshire named Eckford probably from an Old English personal name Ecca + Old English ford ‘ford’.

Elford : English: habitational name from Yelverton in Buckland Monachorum (Devon) recorded as Elleford in 1291 (see Yelverton) named from the Old English personal name Ella or elle ellen ‘elder tree’ + ford ‘ford’. The name may also derive from any of the places called Elford in Staffordshire and Northumberland both probably from the Old English personal name Ella + ford.

Fairfoot : 1: from Middle English fair(e) ‘fair beautiful; light in colour’ (see Fair) + fot(e) ‘foot’. Some of the post-medieval bearers cited here may belong with (2) or (3). 2: from Fairford (Gloucs) which is recorded as Fagranforda in 862 Fareforde in 1086 and Faireford in 1175. The place-name derives from Old English fæger ‘fair clear’ + ford ‘ford river crossing’. 3: from Farforth (Lincs) which is recorded as Farforde in 1086 Farefort in 1121–9 and Fareford in 1170. The place-name derives from Old English ford ‘ford river crossing’ with an uncertain first element perhaps fær ‘passage’ with reference to a Roman road running between Horncastle and Louth.

Fear : English:: 1: nickname for a sociable person from Middle English fe(a)re feer ‘comrade companion’ (Old English (ge)fēra).2: nickname for a proud or haughty person from Middle English fere feer ‘proud bold strong fierce’ (Old French f(i)er).3: nickname perhaps occasionally from Middle English fer(e) feer ‘fear’ (Old English fǣr).4: (of Norman origin): habitational name perhaps from La Fère in Aisne France or a topographic name from Middle English fare fere (Old English fær) ‘road passage ford ferry’.

Feltus : 1: Variant of Feltes.2: English: variant of Fieldhouse from Middle English feld(es) ‘field(s)’ + hous ‘house’ for someone who lived in an isolated house surrounded by fields or who came from a place so named such as Felthouse near Ford in Staffordshire.

Fieldhouse : 1: English (mainly West Midlands and northern England): topographic name from Middle English feld(es) ‘field(s)’ + hous ‘house’ for someone who lived in an isolated house surrounded by fields or who came from a place so named such as Felthouse near Ford Staffordshire. The obsolete variant Felhouse may have become Fellows.2: Americanized form (translation into English) of German Feldhaus a habitational name from any of several places of that name.

Flott : 1: North German: probably a short form of for example Flottmann a topographic name for someone who lived at a shallow crossing or ford from Middle Low German vlōt ‘shallow’.2: North German: from an Old Saxon personal name formed with flōd ‘flood’.3: Altered form of American French Flot 1 and possibly also of the same French or Breton surname (see Flot 2 and 3). Altered ending reflects the Canadian and American French practice of sounding the final -t. Compare Flotte.

Fohrman : Americanized form of North German Fohrmann: topographic name for someone living by a ford Low German Fohr.

Forder : English: from an agent derivative of Middle English ford ‘ford’ (Old English ford) denoting either someone who lived near a ford or the keeper of a ford.

Fordham : English: habitational name from any of the places in Cambridgeshire Essex and Norfolk named Fordham from Old English ford ‘ford’ + hām ‘homestead’.

Fordman : from Middle English ford ‘ford’ (Old English ford ‘ford river crossing’) + man denoting a dweller by a ford. Compare Forder.

Forley : 1: from Fordley in Middleton (Suffolk) which is recorded as Forlea in 1086 Fordle in 1254 and Fordelee in 1286. The place-name derives from Old English ford ‘ford river crossing’ + lēah ‘open woodland’. 2: the north-western cluster is unexplained. It may be the result of migration or alternatively a variant of Farley. 3: see Furley.

Forman : 1: English: status name for a leader or spokesman for a group from Middle English fore-man ‘foreman reeve’ (from the Old English prefix fore- ‘foremost’ + mann ‘man’). The word is attested in this sense from the 15th century but is not used specifically for the leader of a gang of workers before the late 16th century.2: English: variant of Fordman with loss of -d- from Middle English ford ‘ford’ (Old English ford) + man denoting either a dweller by or a keeper of a ford. Compare Forder.3: Americanized form of German Fohrmann (see Fohrman).4: Czech and Jewish (from Bohemia and Moravia): occupational name for a carter Czech forman a loanword from German.

Forth : 1: English: variant of Ford 1.2: German: topographic name for someone who lived by a ford Middle High German vort vurt Middle Low German vorde ‘ford entrance way’ or a habitational name from a place in Franconia or in former Pomerania (now Poland) named Forth.

Fortkamp : German (Lower Saxony) and Dutch (Twente): topographic name for living near a field by a ford from Middle Low German vorde ‘ford’ or ‘entrance way’ + kamp ‘field pasture’.

Fortmann : German: topographic name for someone who lived by a ford Middle High German vort vurt ‘ford’. See Forth.

Forton : 1: English: habitational name from any of the places in Hampshire Lancashire Shropshire and Staffordshire named Forton from Old English ford ‘ford’ + tūn ‘settlement enclosure’.2: English and Scottish: variant of Fortune.3: French: from a pet form of the personal name Fort 2 or a diminutive of the nickname Fort 1 ‘strong brave’.

Fuhr : German: topographic name for someone who lived near a ferry or ford from Middle High German vuore 'place where one drives road load’ (related to English fare) or a habitational name from one of the many places called with this word.

Fuhrer : German:: 1: (Führer): occupational name for a carrier or carter a driver of horse-drawn vehicles Middle High German vüerer (from the Middle High German verb vüeren ‘to lead transport’). See also Fuhrmann compare Fiero and Fuehrer.2: topographic name for someone who lived near a ferry or ford a derivative of Fuhr + the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant.

Fulford : English:: 1: habitational name from one or more of the numerous places so named in Devon such as Fulford in Tiverton Great Fulford in Dunsford Fullaford in High Bray Fulford Bridge in Shebbear Fullaford in Sampford Courtenay and Fullaford in Buckfastleigh.2: habitational name from one or more of the various places so called elsewhere in England such as Fulford (Staffordshire) Fulford in Kingston Saint Mary (Somerset) Gate Fulford and Water Fulford (both East Yorkshire) Fulfords Farm in Itchingfield (Sussex) and Fulforth in Witton Gilbert (Durham). All places in 1 above and 2 are named from Old English fūl ‘dirty muddy’ + ford ‘ford’.

Furth : 1: German (also Fürth): topographic name for someone living at a ford Middle High German vurt ‘ford path’ or a habitational name from any of several places called Fürth for example near Nuremberg.2: Jewish (western Ashkenazic; Fürth): habitational name of the same origin as 1 above.

Gafford : 1: English (southeastern): assimilated form of Gatford a name of various origins. In Sussex and Surrey it is perhaps a variant of the habitational name Catford from a place so called in Somerset. Gatford is also from the habitational names Gateford (in Worksop Nottinghamshire) or Gateforth (near Selby Yorkshire) both formed with Old English gāt ‘goat’ + ford ‘ford’ influenced by Old Norse geit ‘goat’.3: Probably also an altered form of German Gaffert: habitational name from Gaffert near Köslin Brandenburg or from a personal name formed with Middle High German gate ‘fellow companion’. The surname Gaffert is very rare in Germany.2: English: perhaps an altered form of Gatewood an occupational name for a ‘goatherd’ (Middle English gate-werde Old English gātweard) or for a ‘gate keeper’ (Middle English gateward Old English ʒeatweard dialect gātward).

Gainford : from Gainford (Durham) which is recorded as Gegenford in about 1050 Geinforde in about 1105 and Gaineford in 1196. The place-name derives from Old English gegn ‘direct’ + ford ‘ford river crossing’.

Galford : English: habitational name from Galford in Pipe Green (Staffordshire) or Galford in Lewtrenchard (Devon). The Devon placename is derived from Old English gafol ‘tax toll’ + ford ‘ford’. The surname is now not found in England.

Garford : 1: variant of either Garforth or Garthwaite. Redmonds Dictionary of Yorks Surnames observes that Garforth had migrated to east Lancs by the 16th century citing land granted to John Garthforth of Farnhill at a manor court held in Colne (Lancs) in 1543. 2: perhaps occasionally from Garford (Berks) which is recorded as Garanford in 960 Gareford' in 1175 and Garford' in 1242–3. The place-name derives from an Old English personal name *Gāra (genitive *Gāran) or Old English gāra ‘triangular piece of land’ (genitive singular gāran) + ford ‘ford river crossing’. However evidence is lacking to show that this name survived to the present day.

Garforth : English (Yorkshire): habitational name from a place called Garforth in Yorkshire named with the Old English personal name Gǣra + ford ‘ford’. Compare Garthwaite.

Gatford : 1: in Sussex and Surrey perhaps a variant of Catford with voicing of the initial consonant. However the G- spellings are very persistent and there is little sign of early variation with Catford apart from William Catford 1618 Richard Catford 1636 in IGI (Marden Kent) where the initial C- might be an error. Otherwise it might be one of the names in (2) -3 or (4) by migration. 2: from Gateford in Worksop (Notts) which is recorded as Gayteford Gaitford and Geitforth in the medieval period and as Gatford in 1544. The place-name derives from Old English gāt ‘goat’ (genitive plural gāta) influenced by Old Scandinavian geit ‘goat’ + ford ‘ford river crossing’. After 1500 there seems to be no sign of the gentry family of this name that had held the manor of Gateford since the 12th century. 3: perhaps sometimes from Gateforth near Selby (WR Yorks) commonly recorded in the medieval period as Gayteford and occasionally as Gateford and later as Ga(y)teforth. The place-name has the same etymology as Gateford (Notts) in (3) and the two surnames may have been confused. The Yorks name appears to have died out in N England during the 17th century (see Redmonds Dictionary of Yorks Surnames) though it may have survived further south by migration perhaps in an altered form. Some of the following early bearers may alternatively belong with (2). 4: perhaps sometimes an altered form of Gatward. Confusion as to the final element of Gatward is illustrated in Vincent Gatworth 1600 Elizabeth Gatward 1602 Jone Gatewood 1611 Roger Gateford 1618 in IGI (Stixwould Lincs). However the spellings in -worth -ward and -wood could equally well represent variants of Gat(e)ford. Stixwould is not far from Lincoln where Christofer Gaytforth is recorded in 1613 in IGI.

Gorvett : probably from Gorwood in Buckland Brewer (Devon) the parish next to Littleham where the earliest bearer of the surname is recorded. The place-name is not on record before 1765 in Place-Names of Devon p. 90 where it appears as Garwood. The earlier surname forms suggest that it was originally a compound of Old English gor ‘dirt dung filth’ + Old English ford ‘ford’ later altered by folk etymology to -wood.

Greenford : from Greenford (Middx) which is recorded as grenan forda in 845 and Greneforde in 1086. The place-name derives from Old English grēne ‘green’ + ford ‘ford river crossing’.

Gue : 1: Altered form of French Guyon.2: French (Gué): topographic name for someone who lived by a ford gué from Old French wad ‘ford crossing place’. Compare Dugue and Legue.

Guessford : Possibly an altered form of English Gosford a habitational name from any of the places so named in Oxfordshire Somerset Suffolk and Warwickshire or from Gosforth in Cumbria. All are named from Old English gōs ‘goose’ (genitive plural gósa ‘of the geese’) + ford ‘ford’.

Guildford : from Guildford (Surrey) which is recorded as Gyldeforda in about 880 Gildeford Geldeford in 1086 and Guldeford in 1131–3. The place-name derives from Old English *gylde ‘golden’ (perhaps used as a hill-name *Gylde ‘golden one’) + ford ‘ford river crossing’. The reference is to the colour of the sandy escarpment at Saint Catherine's.

Guilford : English: habitational name from Guildford in Surrey which is probably named with Old English gylde ‘golden’ (perhaps used here to denote a sandy hill) + ford ‘ford’.

Hackford : English (Lincolnshire and Yorkshire): habitational name from Hackforth (North Yorkshire) or Hackford (Norfolk). The former is named with Old English haca ‘hook’ + ford ‘ford’ meaning ‘ford at the bend’. The latter likely has the same etymology or may contain the Old English personal name Haca.

Halford : 1: English (mainly Midlands): habitational name from any of various places called Halford. Most for example those in Warwickshire Devon and Shropshire or the lost place Haleford in Pembury (Kent) are named from Old English halh ‘nook recess’ + ford ‘ford’.2: English: variant of Alford with prosthetic H-.

Hannaford : English (Devon): habitational name from one of three places called Hannaford in Devon: in Swimbridge Widecombe-in-the-Moor and Kenn. The Swimbridge placename derives from the Old English personal name Hana or Old English hana ‘cock’ + ford ‘ford’. The Kenn placename is recorded as Hunaford in the 16th century and is of uncertain etymology. The Widecombe placename derives from the Old English personal name Hana + Old English worthig ‘enclosure’.

Hansford : English:: 1: habitational name from Hansford Barton in Ashreigny or from one of two other places called Hansford or Handsford in Chawleigh and Bondleigh (all Devon). The origins of these placenames are uncertain; some may be derived from the surname and it is not clear which early forms belong to which place. The form Hamtoneford recorded in 1205 suggests Old English hām-tūn ‘home farm’ (from hām ‘homestead’ + tūn ‘farmstead estate’) + ford ‘ford’ though hām-tūn is very rare in Devon. Another possibility is Old English hēan dative form of hēah ‘high’ + tūn + ford.2: variant of Hanford with an intrusive -s-.

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