Horsfile History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Horsfile is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the settlement of Horsfall in Todmorden in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The name Horsfile may have also been applied as an occupational surname to someone who worked at a stable or horse pasture. The surname is derived from the Old English words hors, which means horse, and falod, which means enclosure or field.

Early Origins of the Horsfile family

The surname Horsfile was first found in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the Horsfile family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Horsfile research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1586, 1609, 1661 and 1796 are included under the topic Early Horsfile History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Horsfile Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Horsfile family name include Horsfall, Horsefall, Horsfal, Horesfall and others.

Early Notables of the Horsfile family

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

Migration of the Horsfile family to Ireland

Some of the Horsfile family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Horsfile family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Horsfile surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Luke Horsefall, who sailed to America in 1729; John Horsfall to Philadelphia in 1844; and John Horsfall to Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in 1884.