Selfridge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Selfridge comes from the Old English given name Saulf. Selfridge is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Many patronymic surnames were formed by adopting the given name of an ancestor of the bearer, while others came from popular religious names, and from the names of secular heroes. In this case, the surname arose out of the vernacular tradition, and was likely the name of an ancestor of the bearer. The given name Saulf was composed of the elements sæ and wulf, which mean sea and wolf. [1]

Early Origins of the Selfridge family

The surname Selfridge was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where Saiulfus, Sahulfus, Saulf, Saolf, Saul, Seulf are all listed. Robert filius Seulfi was listed as a Knights Templar in Berkshire in 1185 and later William Sewolf was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. John and William Self were found in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. [2]

"The name Sewlf (sea-wolf) occurs in a charter of Canute, and it is probably the same as the Saulf in the Domesday of Derbyshire, where it is in the Scandinavian form. Hence may be our Salve, Self, Selves." [3] [4]

In Yorkshire, the Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Cristiana del Schelf, 1379; and Johannes de Schelf. [5]

Early History of the Selfridge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Selfridge research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1086 is included under the topic Early Selfridge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selfridge Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Selfridge were recorded, including Self, Selfe and others.

Early Notables of the Selfridge family

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

Selfridge Ranking

In the United States, the name Selfridge is the 12,324^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [6]

Migration of the Selfridge family to Ireland

Some of the Selfridge 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.

Selfridge migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Selfridge family emigrate to North America:

Selfridge Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

William Holmes Selfridge, aged 46, originally from Coleraine, Ireland, arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Columbia" from Glasgow, Scotland [7]
Sarah Evelyn Selfridge, aged 17, originally from Coleraine, Ireland, arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Columbia" from Glasgow, Scotland [7]
Wilfred Homes Selfridge, aged 6, originally from Coleraine, Ireland, arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Columbia" from Glasgow, Scotland [7]
Anna Selfridge, aged 5, originally from Coleraine, Ireland, arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Columbia" from Glasgow, Scotland [7]
Richard Selfridge, aged 39, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Vauban" from Liverpool, England [7]

Contemporary Notables of the name Selfridge (post 1700) +

Oliver Gordon Selfridge (1926-2008), English-born, American pioneer of artificial intelligence, often been called the "Father of Machine Perception", grandfather of Harry Gordon Selfridge
Harry Gordon Selfridge Sr. (1858-1947), American-born British retail magnate, founder of the London-based department store Selfridges
Thomas Oliver Selfridge Jr., (1836-1924), United States Navy admiral and son of Thomas O. Selfridge
Thomas Selfridge (1882-1908), US Army lieutenant and the first person to die in a powered airplane crash; he was killed while seated as a passenger in a Wright Flyer, on a demonstration flight piloted by Orville Wright.
Rose Selfridge (1860-1918), American heiress and wife of Harry Selfridge
Peter A. Selfridge (1971-2014), United States Chief of Protocol (2014–2017)
Andy Selfridge (b. 1949), American former National Football League linebacker who played from 1972 to 1977
John Lewis Selfridge (1927-2010), American mathematician who contributed to the fields of analytic number theory, computational number theory, and combinatorics
Thomas Etholen Selfridge (1882-1908), American first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, the first person to die in a crash of a powered airplane as a passenger on an aircraft piloted by Orville Wright, grandson of Rear Admiral Thomas Oliver Selfridge Sr
Thomas Oliver Selfridge Jr. (1836-1924), American officer in the United States Navy, co-eponym of the USS Selfridge (DD-357), a United States Navy destroyer
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result