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Halford History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Halford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Halford comes from when the family resided in Halford, a place-name found in Devon, Shropshire, or Warwickshire, or in Haleford, a lost place in Kent. Despite the similarity of the place-names, they are derived from different sources. The Halford name which was found in Salop (now called Shropshire), for example, is derived from the Old English words haforce, which means "hawk," and ford, a word that means "shallow place where a river may be crossed by wading." 1

It was rendered as Hauerford in 1155. Another Halford, this one in Warwickshire, was listed as Halchford sometime in the 12th century; it is derived from the Old English words halh, which meant "remote nook or corner of land," and ford, a shallow place where a river could be crossed without a bridge. 1

"Halford was a Devonshire surname in the reign of Edward I. (H. R.). There is a Warwickshire parish of the name." 2 3

Early Origins of the Halford family

The surname Halford was first found in Kent where Thomas de Haleford was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1200. Later, Robert de Halford was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Leicestershire in 1327. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two listings for the family: William de Halford, Devon; and William de Holeford, Oxfordshire. 5

Robert de Haleford, was listed in Warwickshire, Henry III-Edward I, according to the source Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. 6

Early History of the Halford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Halford research. Another 238 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1580, 1641, 1658, 1663, 1679, 1689, 1690, 1695, 1727 and 1844 are included under the topic Early Halford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Halford Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Halford include Halford, Hallford, Halforde and others.

Early Notables of the Halford family

Notables of the family at this time include

Sir Richard Halford, 1st Baronet (c.?1580-1658), Sheriff of Leicestershire in the 19th year of James I's reign, created a Baronet on 18 December 1641, notable for his allegiance to Charles I; Sir Thom...
Sir Richard Halford, 5th Baronet (died 1727.)

Halford Ranking

In the United States, the name Halford is the 7,973^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Halford migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Halford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Halford, aged 20, who arrived in New England aboard the ship "The Christian" in 1634 8

Halford Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne Halford, who landed in America in 1760-1763 8
Richard Halford, who arrived in Maryland in 1775

Halford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Giles Halford, who arrived in America in 1804 8

Halford migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Halford Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

James Halford, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Halford migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Halford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Frederick Halford, Welsh convict who was convicted in Monmouthshire, Wales for 14 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Miss Mary Halford, English convict who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
William Halford, aged 32, a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Australia"
Mr. Thomas Halford, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 20 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th March 1863, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Halford (post 1700) +

Charles Halford (b. 1980), American actor, known for his roles in The World's Fastest Indian (2005), Constantine (2014) and The Luck of the Irish (2001)
Johnny Halford, American retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver
William Halford (1841-1919), American sailor, and later an officer, in the United States Navy
Sir Charles Halford (1732-1780), 7th Baronet of Wistow, co Leicester, English peer
Sir William Halford (1709-1768), 6th Baronet of Wistow, co Leicester, English peer
John Halford (1846-1901), English cricketer
Alan J. Halford (b. 1934), former English cricketer
Stephen Paul "Steve" Halford (b. 1980), English footballer
George Dowglas Halford (1865-1948), English second Anglican Bishop of Rockhampton
George Britton Halford (1824-1910), English-born anatomist and physiologist
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Halford family +

HMS Royal Oak

Jack L. Halford, British Marine with the Royal Marine aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 12

RMS Titanic

Mr. Richard Halford, aged 22, English Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 15 13

The Halford Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtus in actione consistit
Motto Translation: Virtue consists in action.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html