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Barfoot History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Barfoot History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Barfoot is part of the ancient legacy of the early Norman inhabitants that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Barfoot was a Norman name used for a person who was in the habit of going without shoes. Friars, pilgrims, and people doing penance often went shoeless. The Barford(e) variation was likely derived from one of the many places in England so named in Hampshire, Norfolk, Warwickshire and Bedfordshire.

Early Origins of the Barfoot family

The surname Barfoot was first found in various counties and shires throughout Britain. Some of the first records of the name appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 and they include: Norman Barfot in Lincolnshire; Robert Barefot in Oxfordshire; and Alan Barefot in Cambridgeshire. 1

Henry de Bereford was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1204 and in Yorkshire, William de Bereford was listed there in 1325 and later John Berford was listed there in 1419. 2

Doora Barefield, or Doora and Kilraghtis, is a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe, in County Clare, Ireland.

Early History of the Barfoot family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barfoot research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1180, 1400, 1655, 1685, 1686 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Barfoot History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barfoot Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Barfoot are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Barfoot include Barefoot, Barfoot, Barfitt, Barfit, Barford, Barefield, Barefred, Barefoote and many more.

Early Notables of the Barfoot family

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

Barfoot migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Barfoot, or a variant listed above:

Barfoot Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Barfoot, who landed in Maryland in 1665 3

Barfoot Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Sarah Barfoot, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 3

Barfoot Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mary Barfoot, aged 8, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Ann" in 1820 4
William Barfoot, aged 60, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Qeniton" in 1839 4
Hannah Barfoot, aged 24, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Jamestown" in 1852 4
Sarah Barfoot, aged 4, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Jamestown" in 1852 4
James Barfoot, aged 30, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Jamestown" in 1852 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barfoot Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs. Barfoot, British settler who arrived in Fremantle, Australia aboard the ship "Victoria" in 1907 5
Mr. A. Barfoot, settler who arrived in Fremantle, Australia aboard the ship "Moreton Bay" in 1922 5
Mrs. I. J. Barfoot, settler who arrived in Fremantle, Australia aboard the ship "Moreton Bay" in 1922 5
Mr. V. R. Barfoot, settler who arrived in Fremantle, Australia aboard the ship "Moreton Bay" in 1922 5
Mrs. A. Barfoot, British settler who arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Osterley" in 1922 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barfoot migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barfoot Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

George Barfoot, settled in Polls Island, Newfoundland in 1836 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Barfoot (post 1700) +

Clyde Raymond Barfoot (1891-1971), nicknamed "Foots", an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played professionally for 25 years from 1914 to 1938
Second Lieutenant Van Thomas Barfoot (1919-2012), American officer awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944, eponym of Fort Barfoot, formerly known as Fort Pickett, a Virginia Army National Guard installation, located near the town of Blackstone, Virginia
Michael Rod Barfoot (b. 1980), former English cricketer from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium
George Barfoot (1812-1889), English first-class cricketer from Twyford, Hampshire who represented Hampshire (1842-1845)
Stuart Barfoot (b. 1975), English footballer from Southampton, England who played from 1994 to 2001
Most Rev. Walter Foster Barfoot (1894-1978), Canadian Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada (1950–1959)
Joan Louise Barfoot (b. 1946), Canadian novelist who has published 11 novels, including Luck (2005), which was a nominee for the 2005 Scotiabank Giller Prize, and Critical Injuries (2001), which was longlisted for the 2002 Man Booker Prize
Chris Barfoot (b. 1966), British actor, writer/director and producer of film productions

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
National Records Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=9255624&S=6&N=9&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=9255624&T=P&S=1
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0