Show ContentsHorsford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Horsford

What does the name Horsford mean?

The lineage of the name Horsford begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived near a stable or horse pasture. The surname is derived from the Old English words hors, which means horse, and falod, which means enclosure or field. Horsford may have also been given as an occupational surname to someone who worked at such a place.

Early Origins of the Horsford family

The surname Horsford was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Horsford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Horsford research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Horsford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Horsford Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Horsford has undergone many spelling variations, including Horsfield, Horsefield, Horsford, Horseford and many more.

Early Notables of the Horsford family

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

Migration of the Horsford family to Ireland

Some of the Horsford family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Horsford migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Horsford were among those contributors:

Horsford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Horsford, who landed in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1633 1
  • George Horsford, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 1

Horsford migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Horsford Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Horsford, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Beauty" in 1863

Contemporary Notables of the name Horsford (post 1700) +

  • Anna Maria Horsford (b. 1948), American television actress
  • Sir Alfred Hastings Horsford (1818-1885), British general, son of General George Horsford, a distinguished West India officer, once lieutenant-governor of Bermuda, who died at Paris, 28 April 1840 2
  • Sir John Horsford (1751-1817), British major-general H.E.I.C. Bengal artillery, son of John Horsford, gentleman, of St. George's, Middlesex, born 13 May 1751 2

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Richard William Horsford, British Petty Officer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 3


  1. 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)
  2. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 7 August 2020
  3. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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