Show ContentsBelfort History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Belfort family

The surname Belfort was first found in Northumberland where they were Lords of the manor of Belford, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Belfort family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Belfort research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1147 and 1376 are included under the topic Early Belfort History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Belfort Spelling Variations

During the era when a person's name, tribe and posterity was one of his most important possessions, many different spellings were found in the archives examined. Belfort occurred in many references, and spelling variations of the name found included Belford, Belfurd, Belforde, Bellford and others.

Early Notables of the Belfort family

More information is included under the topic Early Belfort Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Belfort family

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of illness and the elements, were buried at sea. In North America, early immigrants bearing the family name Belfort, or a spelling variation of the surname include: John Belford who settled in Barbados with his servants in 1680; James Belford settled in West New Jersey in 1771; George and James Belford settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1840.


Contemporary Notables of the name Belfort (post 1700) +

  • Ernest Belfort Bax (1854-1926), English barrister, journalist, philosopher, men's rights advocate, socialist, and historian
  • Jacques Belfort Renard, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 1
  • John Belfort Keogh, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Bradford, 1938 2


  1. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Jacques Renard. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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