Radford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 


The name Radford first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived beside a marsh or reedy ford. Radford is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Radford family

The surname Radford was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Radford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Radford research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1561 and 1630 are included under the topic Early Radford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Radford Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Radford has appeared include Radford, Ratford and others.

Early Notables of the Radford family

Notables of the family at this time include

Radford World Ranking

In the United States, the name Radford is the 2,339th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2 However, in Australia, the name Radford is ranked the 664th most popular surname with an estimated 5,882 people with that name. 3 And in New Zealand, the name Radford is the 789th popular surname with an estimated 924 people with that name. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Radford as 789th with 8,561 people. 5


Radford migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Radford arrived in North America very early:

Radford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Radford migration to Australia +

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

Radford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Radford 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:

Radford Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Radford migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13
Radford Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Radford (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Radford +
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