Blanford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient history of the Blanford name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the region of Blandford. Further research revealed that the name is derived from ford where gudgeons abound around the county of Dorset or it may be "taken by post-Conquest scribes to mean 'White Ford,' as evidenced by the Latinization Blancoforda. " 1

Early Origins of the Blanford family

The surname Blanford was first found in Dorset at Blandford, a parish, in the union of Blandford, hundred of Coombs-Ditch, Blandford division. Abut three quarters of mile south lies Blandford-Forum. This latter parish "derived its name from its situation near an ancient ford on the river Stour, called by the Romans Trajectus Balaniensis. It was nearly destroyed by an accidental fire in 1579, but was soon afterwards rebuilt. " 2

Henry Blaneforde (fl. 1330), was an ancient English chronicler and monk of St. Albans. "A fragment of his chronicle has been preserved. Beginning with the year 1323 he possibly intended to continue the work of Trokelowe, which ends at 1330. What we have of his chronicle, however, ends in 1324, though it contains a reference to an event of 1326. The only manuscript of Blaneforde now known to exist is in the British Museum. " 3

Early History of the Blanford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blanford research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1616, 1619, 1635, 1638, 1662, 1665, 1671 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Blanford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blanford Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Blanford include Blandford, Blandeford, Blanford and others.

Early Notables of the Blanford family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Walter Blandford (1616-1675), an English academic and bishop, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 1662, Bishop of Oxford in 1665 and Bishop of Worcester in 1671. He...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blanford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blanford Ranking

In the United States, the name Blanford is the 18,801^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Blanford migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Blanford or a variant listed above:

Blanford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Blanford, aged 27, servant who arrived aboard the ship "Confidence" in 1638 in New England and Boston stated. 5
Thomas Blanford, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 5

Blanford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Blanford, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 5
Edward Blanford, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 5

Blanford migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Blanford Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Blanford, aged 49, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "La Hogue" in 1874
Catherine Blanford, aged 45, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "La Hogue" in 1874
William Blanford, aged 25, a stoker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "La Hogue" in 1874
John Blanford, aged 14, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "La Hogue" in 1874
Caroline Blanford, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "La Hogue" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Blanford (post 1700) +

W. C. Blanford, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Kentucky State House of Representatives 28th District, 1975 6
Mark H. Blanford, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1876 6
William Thomas Blanford (1832-1905), English geologist and naturalist, eponym of numerous animals and birds, editor of The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma
Henry Francis Blanford (1834-1893), British meteorologist and paleontologist

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html