Dunford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:

England

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The ancestors of the Dunford surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in the town of Dunford in the northern county of Yorkshire. This West Riding town was first inhabited by the Dunford name in the early 1200's. One of the first records of the name was William de Dunneford who was listed in the Feet of Fines in 1332. A few years later William Dinford was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1332.

Early Origins of the Dunford family

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

Early History of the Dunford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunford research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273 and 1379 are included under the topic Early Dunford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunford Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Dunford include Dunsford, Downford, Dounsford, Duinsford, Duneford and many more.

Early Notables of the Dunford family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Dunford of Yorkshire

Dunford Ranking

In the United States, the name Dunford is the 7,341^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Dunford family to Ireland

Some of the Dunford 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.

Dunford migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Dunford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas (Dunnford) Dunford, 33 years of age, an English Gentleman arrived in Jamestown, Va. aboard the ship "Bona Nova" in 1619

Dunford Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne Dunford, who arrived in Virginia in 1711 2
Philip Dunford, who arrived in Virginia in 1711 2
Thomas Taylor Dunford married Elizabeth Keeling in Cumberland County, Va. in 1712
John Dunford purchased land on the eastern seaboard in 1718

Dunford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Dunford brought the family name to New York City in 1820

Dunford migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dunford Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Dunford, who settled in Battle Harbour in 1795

Dunford Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Philip Dunford was married in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1813 3
John Dunford, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1841

Dunford migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dunford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Eliza Dunford, (b. 1790), aged 60, English bonnet maker, from Clapham travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 25th January 1851 4
Mr. Samuel Dunford, (b. 1827), aged 25, English sawyer who was convicted in Wells, Somerset, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 9th Mary 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island), he died in 1894 5

Dunford migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dunford Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Robert Dunford, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mermaid" in 1859 6
Mr. Robert Dunford, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th October 1859 7
Mr. Charles Dunford, (b. 1840), aged 25, English labourer from Leicestershire travelling from London aboard the ship "Tudor" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th September 1865 8
Mr. W. H Dunford, British settler travelling from London, UK with 1 child aboard the ship "Assaye" arriving in Auckland, North Island, New Zealand on 26th December 1874 7
Worthy Dunford, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Dunford (post 1700) +

Nelson Dunford (1906-1986), American mathematician, known for his work in functional analysis, developer of the Dunford decomposition and co-developer of the Dunford-Pettis property, and Dunford-Schwartz theorem, awarded the Leroy P. Steele Prize (1981)
Lieutenant General Joseph F. Dunford Jr. (b. 1955), United States Marine Corps four-star general, 32nd Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
N. J. Dunford, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Idaho, 1924 9
David J. Dunford (b. 1943), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Oman, 1992-95 9
Clinton Earl Dunford (1943-2021), Canadian politician in Lethbridge, Alberta, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lethbridge West
Michael Dunford, British football administrator, Chief Executive Officer of Premier League club Birmingham City
Clint Dunford (b. 1943), Canadian politician in Alberta, MLA Lethbridge West (1993-2008)
David Harvey Dunford (b. 1988), Kenyan gold, silver and three-time bronze medalist swimmer who specializes in sprint freestyle, younger brother of Jason Dunford
Malcolm Dunford (b. 1963), New Zealand former association football player who played from 1980 through 2006, represented the National Team (1980-1993)
Jason Edward Dunford (b. 1986), Kenyan seven-time gold, six-time silver and eight-time bronze medalist swimmer, active 2007 to 2011, older brother of David Dunford