Gainsford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Gainsford come from when the family resided in the region of Gaye which was located in France. The surname Gainsford was also a nickname which described someone with a happy or light spirited character.

Early Origins of the Gainsford family

The surname Gainsford 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]

Early History of the Gainsford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gainsford research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1624, 1599, 1601 and 1610 are included under the topic Early Gainsford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gainsford 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. Gainsford has been recorded under many different variations, including Gainsford, Gaynesford, Gainford, Gaynsford, Ganesford and many more.

Early Notables of the Gainsford family (pre 1700)

Distinguished members of the family include Thomas Gainsford (d. 1624?), English author who belonged to the Surrey family of Gainsford. "He with Edward Stene apparently purchased of the crown Alne manor, Warwickshire, and a cottage in Stutton, Yorkshire, 27 Nov. 1599. He is known to have served in Ireland under Richard...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gainsford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gainsford migration to the United States +

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 Gainsford or a variant listed above:

Gainsford Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mathias Gainsford who settled in Maryland in 1774

Gainsford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Arthur Gainsford, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1876
Arthur Gainsford, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Gainsford (post 1700) +

John Gainsford (1938-2015), South African rugby union player for Springboks

Citations +

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