Cerforth Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Cerforth is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once having lived in a valley or at the foot of a hill. Cerforth 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. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Cerforth Early Origins

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The surname Cerforth was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Cerforth Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Cerforth has been recorded under many different variations, including Kerfoot, Kerford, Kerfont, Kerfut, Kerriford and many more.

Cerforth Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cerforth research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1583 and 1664 are included under the topic Early Cerforth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cerforth Early Notables (pre 1700)

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

Cerforth In Ireland

Some of the Cerforth family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Cerforth or a variant listed above: Thomas Kerfitt, who settled in Virginia in 1624; and Elizabeth Kerfoote, who sailed to Virginia in 1637.

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Citations

Other References

Burke, Sir Bernard. Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry: Including American Families with British Ancestry. (2 Volumes). London: Burke Publishing, 1939. Print.
Foster, Joseph. Dictionary of Heraldry Feudal Coats of Arms and Pedigrees. London: Bracken Books, 1989. Print. (ISBN 1-85170-309-8).
Colletta, John P. They Came In Ships. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993. Print.
Reaney P.H and R.M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X).
Markale, J. Celtic Civilization. London: Gordon & Cremonesi, 1976. Print.
Bede, The Venerable. Historia Ecclesiatica Gentis Anglorum (The Ecclesiastical History Of the English People). Available through Internet Medieval Sourcebook the Fordham University Centre for Medieval Studies. Print.
Cook, Chris. English Historical Facts 1603-1688. London: MacMillan, 1980. Print.
Chadwick, Nora Kershaw and J.X.W.P Corcoran. The Celts. London: Penguin, 1790. Print. (ISBN 0140212116).
Browning, Charles H. Americans of Royal Descent. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
Virkus, Frederick A. Ed. Immigrant Ancestors A List of 2,500 Immigrants to America Before 1750. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1964. Print.
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The Cerforth Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Cerforth Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 8 July 2014 at 13:31.