In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the lansforde surname lived beside a river. lansforde is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other 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.
The surname lansforde was first found in Sussex, where they held a family seat from the Middle Ages.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our lansforde research. Another 237 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1609, 1641, 1645, 1611, 1656, 1633, 1649 and 1640 are included under the topic Early lansforde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like lansforde are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name lansforde include: Lunsford, Lunsforde, Lansforde, Lansford and others.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early lansforde Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name lansforde or a variant listed above: William Lansford who sailed to Virginia in 1654.