Lankford History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsEtymology of LankfordWhat does the name Lankford mean? The name Lankford has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in the regions of Langford which were in eight counties throughout England. Lankford is a habitation name from the broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. Early Origins of the Lankford familyThe surname Lankford was first found in Bedfordshire at Langford, a village and civil parish alongside the River Ivel. With multiple listings of the same village throughout England (Bedfordshire, Essex, Nottinghamshire and as Langford Budville in Somerset), it is difficult to give a precise local for the surname's origin. However, of all of them, the village in Bedfordshire has traditionally had the highest population over the years. Some are listed in the Domesday Book as follows: Langeford, Bedfordshire; Langheforda, Essex; and Landeforde, Nottinghamshire. 1 The place name literally means "long ford" from the Old English lang + ford. But the Nottinghamshire village could have been derived from "ford of a man called Landa" from the Old English personal name + ford. 2 There are other villages and parishes named Langford, in England but these are the oldest. The Cornwall local cannot be found today, but it is from this local that many of the family originated. Roger de Langford was sheriff of Cornwall in 1225. He took his surname from the parish of Marham Church. 3 While the town or parish of Langford cannot be found today, historical evidence of the family exists. "In 1620 Emanuel Langford possessed five parts out of six [of the manor of Liskeard Coelsehill." and "Tremabe, in [the parish of Liskeard], which was formerly a seat of the Langfords, is now a farm house. Langford-Hill [in the parish of Marham-Church] was formerly a seat belonging to an ancient family called Langford, of whom the last lineal descendant, Mrs. Flizabeth Hammet, died in 1783." 4 Early History of the Lankford familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lankford research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1229, 1625, 1652, 1656, 1683, 1713, 1716, 1725 and 1791 are included under the topic Early Lankford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Lankford Spelling VariationsSpelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Lankford have been found, including Langford, Langforde, Langfort, Longford and many more. Early Notables of the Lankford familyMore information is included under the topic Early Lankford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Lankford RankingIn the United States, the name Lankford is the 2,419th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 5 Migration of the Lankford family to IrelandSome of the Lankford family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Lankford, or a variant listed above: Lankford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Lankford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Lankford Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
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