Show ContentsWandeford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Wandeford family

The surname Wandeford was first found in Suffolk at Wangford (St. Peter), a parish in the union and hundred of Blything or at Wangford (St. Denis) another parish in the union of Mildenhall in the hundred of Lackford. A census in the late 1800s, listed 818 inhabitants for Wangford (St. Peter) and only 46 inhabitants for Wangford (St. Denis.) Wangford dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Wankeforda and literally meant "ford by the open fields" from the Old English words wang + ford. 1 Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Wangford, held by Richard Fitzgilbert from the Abbot of St. Edmund's. 2

Early History of the Wandeford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wandeford research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1225, 1327, 1497, 1586, 1637, 1684, 1710, 1713 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Wandeford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wandeford Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Wangford, Wangforth, Wankforth, Wankford, Wangfurd, Wangforde, Wankforde, Wandsford, Wandesford, Wandisford, Wansford, Wainsford and many more.

Early Notables of the Wandeford family

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

Migration of the Wandeford family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Wandeford name or one of its variants: settlers were recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Florida, and to the islands..



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)


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