Gainfarde is a name of ancient
Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once having lived in the region of
Gaye which was located in France. The surname Gainfarde was also a
nickname which described someone with a
happy or light spirited character.Early Origins of the Gainfarde family
The surname Gainfarde was first found in
Durham at Gainford, a parish, in the unions of Teesdale, Darlington, and Auckland. "This place was anciently a seigniory detached from the palatinate jurisdiction of the county, and invested with several valuable privileges and immunities. It appears to have been indebted for its origin to Egfrid, Bishop of Lindisfarne, who founded a church, which in 830 he gave to the see, together with the lands annexed to it, and which continued to form part of the episcopal possessions till the commencement of the 11th century."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Early History of the Gainfarde family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gainfarde research.
Another 229 words (16 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gainfarde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gainfarde 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. Gainfarde has been recorded under many different variations, including Gainsford, Gaynesford, Gainford, Gaynsford, Ganesford and many more.
Early Notables of the Gainfarde family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Gainfarde Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Gainfarde family to the New World and Oceana
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 Gainfarde or a variant listed above: Mathias Gainsford who settled in Maryland in 1774 and Arthur Gainsford, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1876.