The surname Thedford was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Bury St.Edmunds when Goduine Thede who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.
Loading...
Early History of the Thedford family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thedford research. Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Thedford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Loading...
Thedford Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Thede, Theed, Theede, Thieda, Theda, Thedwyne and many more.
Loading...
Early Notables of the Thedford family
More information is included under the topic Early Thedford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Thedford Ranking
In the United States, the name Thedford is the 13,149th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2
Loading...
Migration of the Thedford family
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Charles Thede who went to Wisconsin in 1891; John H. Thede who moved to Scoll Co. I.A. in 1859; and Peter who arrived in New York, N.Y. in 1857; at the age of 25. A Richard Theed sailed to America in 1746 and two Thomas Theeds went to Virgina in 1734. Nicholas Theede, on the other hand, did not immigrate until 1906.
England
