| ![Show Contents]() Afford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England
Etymology of AffordWhat does the name Afford mean? The distinguished surname Afford is derived from "Offord," a place name that can be found in both Huntingdonshire and Warwickshire. Early Origins of the Afford familyThe surname Afford was first found in Huntingdon, where the family was anciently seated as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. He granted lands to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family, and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Offord Cluny, held by Odo from Eustace the Sheriff, a Norman noble who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Early History of the Afford familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Afford research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1221, 1273, 1327 and 1349 are included under the topic Early Afford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Afford Spelling VariationsNorman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Offord, Offorth, Oford, Oforth, Offorde, Afford, Afforde, Afforth, Afforthe, Offworth, Ofworth, Offwurth and many more. Early Notables of the Afford familyAnother 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Afford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Afford migration to Australia | + |
Afford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- John N. Afford, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Cygnet" in 1836 1
- Henry Afford, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Spartan" in 1849 2
| Contemporary Notables of the name Afford (post 1700) | + |
- John Andrew "Andy" Afford (b. 1964), English first-class cricketer from Crowland, Lincolnshire
- Thelma Afford (1908-1996), née Thomas, Australian costume designer, theatre performer, and fashion journalist from Broken Hill, New South Wales, wife of Max Afford
- Malcolm "Max" Afford (1906-1954), Australian playwright and novelist from Adelaide, South Australia
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Cygnet arrived Holdfast Bay, Adealide Sept. 11, 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836Cygnet.htm
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SPARTAN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Spartan.htm
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