Crofford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Crofford surname date from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name originated with an early member who was a person with abnormally shaped feet, or a gait resembling that of a crow. 1

Although the Anglo-Saxon surname Crofford may sound like a Native American name, it is derived from the Old English words crawe or crawa, which mean crow, and fot, which means foot. However, the Old English phrase crou-fot was also a name for the buttercup. Moreover, the surname Crofford may in some cases be derived from the name of the settlement of Crawford, which was in the Scottish county of Lanark. 2

Early Origins of the Crofford family

The surname Crofford was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat. From their early beginnings, for the next few centuries, the family name also acquired other estates or manors as branches established themselves throughout England. The major conflicts of the eras, such as the War of the Roses, the English Reformation, and the English Civil War sometimes found them to be in opposing camps, with conflicting interests. Although this name may sound like an Indian name to North Americans it has its roots in Suffolk.

Early History of the Crofford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crofford research. Another 29 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1524, 1736, 1817 and 1875 are included under the topic Early Crofford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crofford Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Crofford has been recorded under many different variations, including Crowfoot, Crowfote, Crowfoote, Crowefoot, Crofford, Croford, Croffet, Crofut, Croffut, Crofoot, Croffit, Croffitt and many more.

Early Notables of the Crofford family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Crofford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crofford migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Crofford or a variant listed above:

Crofford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizab Crofford, who arrived in Virginia in 1652

Crofford Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne Crofford, who arrived in Virginia in 1728 3
Elizabeth Crofford, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1768

Crofford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew Crofford, who arrived in New York, NY in 1821
Hugh Crofford, who settled in New York in 1832
John Crofford, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1846

Crofford migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Crofford Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Margaret Crofford, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1819

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)