Rufford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

The origins of the Welsh name Rufford go back to the ancient Celtic culture that existed in the hills and Moors of Wales. The forbears that initially held the name Rufford once lived in either of the settlements called Rufford in Lancashire and Nottinghamshire, or in the place called Rufforth in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Rufford belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Rufford family

The surname Rufford was first found in Gloucestershire, where they held a family seat from ancient times as Lords of the manor of Rudford. Conjecturally they are descended from Madog the pre Conquest holder of the lands of Rudford, who after the Conquest was allowed to continue occupying these lands.

Early History of the Rufford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rufford research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1490 and 1550 are included under the topic Early Rufford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rufford Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Rufford have included Rufforde, Rufford and others.

Early Notables of the Rufford family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

John Rufford of Gloucestershire

Rufford migration to the United States +

North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Rufford:

Rufford Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Rufford who landed in North America in 1770