Coleford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Coleford

What does the name Coleford mean?

The history of the name Coleford begins with the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. This Norman name was soon thereafter given to a greedy person. It derives from the Old French word goulafre, which means glutton.

Early Origins of the Coleford family

The surname Coleford was first found in Suffolk, where they held lands after the Norman Conquest. Roger Gulafre, Lord of Mesnil Bernard, held property in St. Evroult, Normandy in 1061.

Early History of the Coleford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coleford research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1130 and 1273 are included under the topic Early Coleford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coleford Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Coleford family name include Gulliver, Gullever, Gullifer, Gulliford, Galliford, Galliver, Gilliver and many more.

Early Notables of the Coleford family

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

Coleford migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Coleford family to immigrate North America:

Coleford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Coleford, who arrived in Maryland in 1638 1

Sources +

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)