Font History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Spain

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Font family name to the British Isles. They lived near a spring or well which was in turn derived from the Old French word fontane, which means spring or well. Font is a topographic surname, which is a type of surname that was given to a person who resided near a landmark such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

John Pherd (died 1225), Bishop of Ely, properly called John of Fountains, was a Cistercian monk of Fountains, and was chosen ninth abbot of his house in December 1211. 1

Early Origins of the Font family

The surname Font was first found in Norfolk at Harford, a parish, in the union of Swaffham, hundred of South Greenhoe.

"Narford Hall was built by Sir Andrew Fountaine, vice-chamberlain to Queen Caroline (consort of George II.), and the companion of Pope, Swift, and their literary society; he enriched the mansion with a collection of antiquities, paintings, and curiosities, which has been considerably increased by the present proprietor. In the reign of Edward III. Sir Thomas de Narford obtained for it a market and two fairs, long since fallen into disuse." 2

Early History of the Font family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Font research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1430, 1460, 1471, 1554, 1572, 1591, 1600, 1608, 1659, 1660, 1671, 1676 and 1753 are included under the topic Early Font History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Font Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Fountaine, Fountain, Fountayne, Fontain, Fontibus, Ffountain, Ffounteyn, Ffunteyn and many more.

Early Notables of the Font family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Andrew Fountaine (1676-1753), an English antiquarian, art collector and amateur architect. He was the eldest son of Andrew Fountaine, M.P., of Narford, Norfolk. 1 John Fountaine (1600-1671), the English jurist, was Commissioner of the great seal of England from (1659 to 1660). He was the son of Arthur Fountaine of Dalling, Norfolk. 1 Arthur Faunt, in religion Laurence Arthur (1554-1591), was an English Jesuit, born in...
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Font Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Font Ranking

In the United States, the name Font is the 12,844^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Font is ranked the 3,327^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 4

Font migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Font or a variant listed above:

Font Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Salvador Font Darder and Andrés Fontanals, who sailed to Puerto Rico in 1803
Jaime Font, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 5
Jose Font, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1820 5
Juan Bautista Font, aged 29, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1822 5
Julian Font, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1827 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Font (post 1700) +

Luz Odilia Font (1929-2022), née Arocho, a Puerto Rican actress, best remembered for her role as "Clara" in the 2013 Puerto Rican film production, "The Condemned"
Anton Font Bernadet (1932-2021), Spanish mime artist and educator
Héctor Font Romero (b. 1984), Spanish professional footballer
August Font, Catalan architect

The Font Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vix ea nostra voco
Motto Translation: I scarce call these things our own.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)