Morford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
An ancient Strathclyde-Briton family from the Scottish/English Borderlands were the first to use the name Morford. They lived in the place called Moffatt, in Scotland. The place-name is derived from the Gaelic words magh and fada, which mean field and long. Hence, the surname Morford means, from the long field.
Early Origins of the Morford family
The surname Morford was first found in Dumfriesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Phris), a Southern area, bordering on England that today forms part of the Dumfries and Galloway Council Area, at Annandale where the first on record was Nicholas de Mufet who began his life as a simple cleric and was first recorded as witness to a charter by Walter, bishop of Glasgow, some time before 1232. Approximately twenty years later, in 1250, he was made Archdeacon of Theuidale and eventually, in 1268, he was made Bishop of Glasgow. After only two years of holding the position of bishop, he died, in the year 1270. 1
Early History of the Morford family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morford research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1348, 1467, 1553, 1604, 1795, 1815, 1870, 1883 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Morford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Morford Spelling Variations
Before the printing press standardized spelling in the last few hundred years, no general rules existed in the English language. Spelling variations in Scottish names from the Middle Ages are common even within a single document. Morford has been spelled Moffatt, Maffat, Maffett, Maffet, Moffat, Moffet, Moffett, Moffert, Moffertt, Moffit, Moffitt, Merphet, Merphett, Merfet, Merfett, Murphat, Murphatt, Murphet, Murphett, Muffat, Muffatt, Muffett, Muffet, Muffit and many more.
Early Notables of the Morford family
Notable amongst the family at this time was Thomas Muffet (also Moufet, Mouffet, or Moffet) (1553-1604), an English naturalist and physician, best known for his Puritan beliefs, his study of insects in regard to medicine; and Robert Moffat (1795-1883). Starting off as a gardener, he decided to become a missionary...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Morford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Morford Ranking
In the United States, the name Morford is the 15,735th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2
Migration of the Morford family to Ireland
Some of the Morford family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Morford migration to the United States +
For Scottish immigrants, the great expense of travel to North America did not seem such a problem in those unstable times. Acres of land awaited them and many got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. These Scots and their ancestors went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. Among them:
Morford Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- William Morford, who arrived in Mississippi in 1798 3
Morford Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Robert John Morford, aged 25, originally from Derby, England, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Scythia" from Liverpool, England 4
- Annan Morford, aged 29, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Tivives" from Cristobal 4
- Ethel B. Morford, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Tivives" from Cristobal 4
Morford 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:
Morford Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- John Morford, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Montrose" in 1883
Contemporary Notables of the name Morford (post 1700) +
- Jill Morford, American professor of linguistics at the University of New Mexico
- Jerome Morford (1841-1910), Union Army soldier during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863
- Mark Morford, American columnist and culture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com
- Craig S. Morford (b. 1959), American attorney, U.S. Deputy Attorney General (2007-2008)
- Charles Morford Wyckoff (1865-1926), American Democratic Party politician
Citations +
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result