Damford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Damford surname is thought to have been a habitational name taken on from a place name; possibly from Darnford in Suffolk, Great Durnford in Wiltshire, or from Dernford Farm in Sawston, Cambridgeshire. These place names are derived from the Old English words "dierne," meaning "hidden" and "ford," or in other words "a ford across a river." 1

Of all these parishes Durnford, Wiltshire is the largest and dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was recorded as Diarneford. 2 Denford, Northamptonshire was listed in the Domesday Book as Deneforde. 2

Early Origins of the Damford family

The surname Damford was first found in Northamptonshire at Denford, a parish, in the union of Thrapston, hundred of Huxloe. 3 Upper Denford is a hamlet in Berkshire, England, and part of the civil parish of Kintbury and this may the source of the family too. 4

Early rolls revealed early spellings used at that time: Nicholas de Darneford in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279; Robert de Derneforde in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327; and James Danford in Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1568. 5

Framlingham, Suffolk would prove to be the homestead for an important branch of the family. It was here that Nicholas Danforth (1589-1639) and his wife, Elizabeth Symmes Danforth (c.1596-1629) would raise six surviving children who as a family emigrated to Massachusetts aboard the Griffin in 1634. This family was the progenitors of the Danforths in Massachusetts including Thomas Danforth (1623-1699), the English-born, politician, magistrate, and landowner who was a magistrate and leading figure in the colony at the time of the Salem Witch Trials.

Early History of the Damford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Damford research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1327, 1455, 1487, 1568, 1570, 1622, 1626, 1634, 1639, 1643, 1650, 1657, 1658, 1659, 1674, 1679, 1681, 1686, 1692 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Damford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Damford Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Danforth, Danford, Danforde, Danforthe, Damforth and many more.

Early Notables of the Damford family

Distinguished members of the family include Samuel Danforth (1626-1674), an American Puritan minister, poet, and astronomer born in Framlingham, Suffolk, arriving in Massachusetts in 1634.Thomas Danforth (1622-1699), born in Framlingham, Suffolk, emigrated to New England in 1634 with his family and later became a judge for the 1692 Salem witch trials. He was son of Nicholas Danforth of Framlingham and was "taken by his father to America in 1634, and became an inhabitant of Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was admitted a freeman of that town in 1643, and elected...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Damford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Damford migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Damford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jeremy Damford, who landed in Virginia in 1637 aboard the ship "Tristram and Jane" 6

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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)