Gainfort Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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The origins of the Gainfort name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the region of Gaye which was located in France. The surname Gainfort was also a nickname which described someone with a happy or light spirited character.

Gainfort Early Origins

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The surname Gainfort 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."

Gainfort Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Gainfort were recorded, including Gainsford, Gaynesford, Gainford, Gaynsford, Ganesford and many more.

Gainfort Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gainfort research. Another 229 words (16 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gainfort History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gainfort Early Notables (pre 1700)

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

The Great Migration

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Gainfort family emigrate to North America: Mathias Gainsford who settled in Maryland in 1774 and Arthur Gainsford, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1876.

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Citations

^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.

Other References

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8).
Magnusson, Magnus. Chambers Biographical Dictionary 5th edition. Edinburgh: W & R Chambers, 1990. Print.
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Galveston Texas 1896-1951. National Archives Washington DC. Print.
Best, Hugh. Debrett's Texas Peerage. New York: Coward-McCann, 1983. Print. (ISBN 069811244X).
Crispin, M. Jackson and Leonce Mary. Falaise Roll Recording Prominent Companions of William Duke of Normandy at the Conquest of England. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin . Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8).
Bullock, L.G. Historical Map of England and Wales. Edinburgh: Bartholomew and Son, 1971. Print.
Innes, Thomas and Learney. The Tartans of the Clans and Families of Scotland 1st Edition. Edinburgh: W & A. K. Johnston Limited, 1938. Print.
Ingram, Rev. James. Translator Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 1823. Print.
Markale, J. Celtic Civilization. London: Gordon & Cremonesi, 1976. Print.
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The Gainfort Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Gainfort 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 12 May 2016 at 09:06.