Fourd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Fourd finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxons of England. It was given to one who worked as a keeper of the ford or river crossing. 1

Early Origins of the Fourd family

The surname Fourd was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where Bruma de la forda was listed at Winton, Hampshire. 2 Years later in Somerset, Eadric æt Fordan was listed as an Old English Byname, 1100-1130. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included Reginald de la Forthe in Suffolk and later, Geoffrey atte Forde was found in Sussex in 1296. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls also included: Richard de la Forde, Norfolk; and William de la Forde, Kent. 4 In Somerset, David atte Forde was registered there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 5

The name is "characteristic of the southern and western counties. Absent or singularly rare north of a line drawn from the Wash to the Mersey. It is at present most numerous in Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hants, and Cheshire. In almost all the counties where this name is at all frequent we find it in one form or another as a place - name." 6

Early History of the Fourd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fourd research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1559, 1586, 1594, 1598, 1615, 1616, 1619, 1640, 1642, 1660, 1662, 1664, 1669, 1674, 1684, 1699, 1804, 1826, 1846, 1847, 1863, 1890, 1905 and 1947 are included under the topic Early Fourd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fourd Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Fourd has been recorded under many different variations, including Forde, Ford, Alford and others.

Early Notables of the Fourd family

Notables of this surname at this time include: William Ford or Foord (c.1559-1616?), Church of England clergyman, he may have been the same William Ford who became Rector of Thurleigh, Bedfordshire in 1594 or the William Ford who became Vicar of Bristow, Herefordshire in 1615; Thomas Ford (1598-1674), an English...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fourd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fourd family to Ireland

Some of the Fourd family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 126 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fourd migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Fourd or a variant listed above:

Fourd Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Fourd, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 7

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)