Guilford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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England

Etymology of Guilford

What does the name Guilford mean?

The name Guilford is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in the village of Guildford, which was in the county of Surrey in England. The surname was originally derived from the Old English word guilford which denoted the "ford where the marigolds grew." 1

"This place, of which there is no mention either in the British or the Roman annals, is supposed to be of Saxon origin, and to have derived its name from Guild, a fraternity, and Ford, the passage over a stream. It was held in royal demesne, and, by Speed, is said to have been the residence of some of the Saxon kings." 2

Early Origins of the Guilford family

The surname Guilford was first found in Kent at Guildford, a county town that dates back to Saxon times c. 880 when it was first listed as Gyldeforda. About 978 or so, it was home to an early English Royal Mint. By the Domesday Book of 1086, 3 the town's name have evolved to Gildeford and was held by William the Conqueror. 1

Guildford Castle is thought to have been built shortly after the 1066 invasion of England by William the Conqueror. As the castle is not listed in the Domesday Book, it is generally thought to have been built after 1086. Over the years, the castle has gone through many hands and is today held by the Guildford Corporation. It's essentially in ruins, but the gardens are a very popular tourist site. The keep now contains a visitor centre, open between April and September.

One of the earliest records of the family was that of Nicholas Guildford (fl. 1250), poet, who is the supposed author of an English poem, 'The Owl and the Nightingale.' It takes the "form of a contest between the two birds as to their relative merits of voice and singing. Master Nicholas de Guildford is chosen as umpire, and we then learn that his home is at Porteshom (now Portisham) in Dorset. 'The Owl and the Nightingale' is a poem of real merit, smoothly and melodiously written, and is an excellent specimen of the south-western dialect of the thirteenth century." 4

Early History of the Guilford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guilford research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1489, 1500, 1506, 1508, 1532, 1535, 1553, 1554 and 1555 are included under the topic Early Guilford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guilford Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Guilford family name include Guildford, Guildeford, Guilford, Gilford and others.

Early Notables of the Guilford family

Lord Guildford Dudley (also spelt Guilford) (c. 1535-1554) was an English nobleman who was married to Lady Jane Grey. She occupied the English throne from 10 July until 19 July 1553, having been decla...

Guilford Ranking

the United States, the name Guilford is the 9,129^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Guilford migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Guilford surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Guilford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Margaret Guilford, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 6

Guilford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Guilford, who settled in Philadelphia in 1851

Guilford migration to Australia +

Guilford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Guilford, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Guilford (post 1700) +

Jesse Poore Guilford (1895-1962), American amateur golfer
Andrew J. Guilford (b. 1950), United States federal judge
Joy Paul Guilford (1897-1987), American psychologist, best remembered for his psychometric study of human intelligence
Paul W. Guilford, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 33rd District, 1915-16; Member of Minnesota State Senate 33rd District, 1919-22 8
Daniel Guilford (1789-1850), English clergyman, Hebrew scholar and religious writer
Daniel Guilford Wait (1789-1850), English Hebrew scholar, born in 1789, the son of Daniel Wait of Bristol
Guilford Dudley (1907-2002), American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Denmark (1969–1971)
Sir Guilford Molesworth (1828-1925), British civil and railway engineer
Guilford Wiley Wells (1840-1909), American Republican politician, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, 1870; U.S. Representative from Mississippi 2nd District, 1875-77; U.S. Consul General in Shanghai, 1877 9

The Guilford Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Animo et fide
Motto Translation: By courage and faith.

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html