First found in Durham, where the name is associated with the township of Cornforth, sometimes known as Cornforth, in the parish of Bishop's Middleham.

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Cornforths to arrive on North American shores: Paul Cornforth who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774.

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