Binford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Binford comes from when its first bearer worked as a keeper of the pound where animals were sheltered. Pinfold was an area where stray animals were rounded up if their owners failed to properly supervise their use of common grazing land as in "a pound or pen for sheep and cattle, sometimes called a pin-fold or pound-fold-a manorial holding for trespassing animals." 1

Early Origins of the Binford family

The surname Binford was first found in Essex where the name was originally recorded as Panfield, a location name in the Domesday Book. 2 Pancevold, was a tenant in chief; and Pancefolt, under-tenant at time of Survey. 3

While Essex, was the first mention of the family, we must look to Sussex to see the lion's share of the entries years later. Here, Thomas ate Pundfolde was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for 1296 and a few years later, John Pennefold was found in the Subsidy Rolls for 1332. In Suffolk, Richard and Henry Pynfoul was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327. 4

"Penfold or Pennifold is an old Sussex name. Stephen Penfold was twice mayor of Chichester in the reign of Charles II., and the name is still in the town; at that time the Penfolds held large estates in the parish of Angmering: Hugh Penfold owned the Cissbury estate, Findon, in 1794." 5

Down in Devon, the "B" prefix was often substituted as in John Bynford who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1642 and in this case the family called Binneford in Crediton, in Sandford their home. 4

Early History of the Binford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Binford research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Binford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Binford Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Binford include Penfold, Penfield, Pinfold and others.

Early Notables of the Binford family

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

Binford Ranking

In the United States, the name Binford is the 8,507^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Binford family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Binford or a variant listed above: Elizabeth Pinfold and her husband, who settled in Virginia in 1660; as well as George Pinfold, who settled in Maryland in 1727.

Contemporary Notables of the name Binford (post 1700) +

Melvin J. Binford (1903-1984), American football and basketball coach and college athletics administrator
Lloyd Tilghman Binford (1866-1956), American insurance executive and film censor, head of the Memphis Censor Board for 28 years
Thomas Binford, American computer scientist at Stanford University, researcher in image analysis and computer vision since 1967
Julien Binford (1909-1997), American painter and professor of painting, professor of painting at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, some of his wartime paintings were featured in LIFE magazine
Lewis Roberts Binford (b. 1930), American archaeologist, specialising in studies of spider venom, Professor of Biology at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon
Thomas W. Binford (1924-1999), Indianapolis businessman and philanthropist, chief steward of the Indianapolis 500

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/