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![Show Contents]() Beaufort History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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 England France
Early Origins of the Beaufort familyThe surname Beaufort was first found in Norfolk and Suffolk. The name literally means "fair faith" and claims descent from "a locality now called Beau-Fai, in the arrondissement of Mortagne, in Normandy. Ralph de Bella Faago, or Beaufoy, accompanied the Conqueror, and became a tenant in chief in Norfolk and Suffolk. He was a near relative of William be Beaufoe, the Conqueror's chancellor and chaplain." 1 Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Swanton Moreley, where Robert de Belfou was Lord of that manor and held many other lordships in that county. Hugh de Beauford held in 1165 one knight's fee in Bedfordshire of Simon de Beauchamp. 2 One of the name, probably his descendant is buried in Oseney Church. "Beaufort a Knight lyith in the Quire at the Hed of Countess Ela. This Beaufort and an Abbate of Oseney buildid the Body of the Chirche now standing at Oseney, and ther be porturid their Images in the Volt of it." 3 More records of the family were found in St. Ives, Cornwall and these records point to another early branch of the family. "The manor and barton of Trenwith, was held by the Earl of Cornwall shortly after the Conquest. In the days of John of Gaunt it became the property of his son John de Beauford; and in this family it remained till the attainder of Edmund Beauford, Earl of Somerset, in 1471." 4 John Beaufort, 1st Marquess of Somerset and 1st Marquess of Dorset, KG (c. 1373-1410) was the first of the four children of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress Katherine Swynford. He was the progenitor of what would later be known as the House of Beaufort, a line of wealthy and powerful English nobles. 5 Early History of the Beaufort familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beaufort research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1377, 1403, 1406, 1431, 1444, 1447, 1455 and 1501 are included under the topic Early Beaufort History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Beaufort Spelling VariationsSpelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Beaufort have been found, including Beaufoy, Beauford, Beauford, Beaufort, Beauforest, Beauforth, Bewfort, Bewford, Bufoy, Ballafay, Belfou, Beaufow and many more. Early Notables of the Beaufort familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was - Henry Beaufort (1377-1447), English prelate, Bishop of Winchester and Cardinal, second and illegitimate son of John of Gaunt by Catherine
- John Beaufort (1403-1444), first Duke of Somerset, military commander, the son of John Beaufort, eldest son of John of Gaunt
- Edmund Beaufort, (1406-1455), 2nd Duke of Somerset, an English nobleman and an important figure in the Wars of the Roses and the Hundred Years' War, he received the titles of 4th Earl of Somerset, was...
- Eleanor Beaufort (1431-1501), daughter of Edmund Beaufort, her mother Lady Eleanor Beauchamp was Duchess of Somerset, Eleanor was a sister of the 3rd and 4th Dukes of Somerset
Beaufort RankingIn the United States, the name Beaufort is the 15,276th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Beaufort is ranked the 3,254th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 7
 Beaufort migration to the United States | + |
For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Beaufort were among those contributors:
Beaufort Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Rich. Beaufort, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Elizabeth"
Beaufort Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Ann Beaufort, who landed in Virginia in 1729 8
- Caspar Beaufort, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1775 8
- Casper Beaufort, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1775 8
- Gaspar Beaufort who settled in Philadelphia in 1775
Beaufort Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Philip Beaufort, who settled in Philadelphia in 1834
| Beaufort migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Beaufort Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Joseph Beaufort married Marie-Joseph Dubois in Quebec in 1718
- Pierre Beaufort married Marie-Joseph Lecuyer in Quebec in 1735
| Contemporary Notables of the name Beaufort (post 1700) | + |
- CW Beaufort, American State Senator, Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A
- Daniel Augustus Beaufort (1739-1821), English geographer, born on 1 Oct. 1739 at East Barnet, son of Daniel Cornelis de Beaufort, a French refugee (1700-1788) 9
- Rear Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort KCB, FRS, FRGS, FRAS, MRIA (1774-1857), Irish hydrographer and officer in the Royal Navy, creator of the Beaufort Scale for indicating wind force 9
- Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort (1879-1968), Dutch biologist, a participant on the North New Guinea Expedition in 1903
- Jacques-Antoine Beaufort (1721-1784), French painter
- Carel Godin de Beaufort (1934-1964), Dutch Porsche Formula 1 Driver (1957-1964)
- Sir Henry Beaufort Somerset CBE, KT Cr, FTSE (1906-1995), British Industrial chemist and Company director
- Alexander Beaufort Meek (1814-1865), American politician, lawyer, writer and poet
- Alexander Beaufort Meek (1814-1865), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Alabama State House of Representatives, 1853, 1859; Speaker of the Alabama State House of Representatives, 1859 10
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Liber Niger Scutarii ("Black Book of the Exchequer"), containing reports by county on feudal holdings in England in 1166 (reign of Henry II)
- Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
- Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 14 June. 2019
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Beaufort migration to the United States 
Beaufort migration to Canada 
