Cornwall, one of the original six "Celtic nations" is the homeland to the surname Nantfeard. A revival of the Cornish language which began in the 9th century AD has begun. No doubt this was the language spoken by distant forebears of the Nantfeard family. Though surnames became common during medieval times, English people were formerly known only by a single name. The way in which
hereditary surnames were adopted in medieval
England is fascinating. Many Cornish surnames appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames. The name Nantfeard is a
local type of surname and the Nantfeard family lived in the village of
Nanfan, in
Cornwall. Members of the family were involved in the
blacksmith trade and prior to the 18th century often went by the
occupational name
Trengove, from the Cornish words
tren meaning
strong, and
angove, meaning
smith. Many used the name Trengoff of Nance.
Early Origins of the Nantfeard family
The surname Nantfeard was first found in
Cornwall where they held a
family seat as Lords of the Manor of Nanfan some say at the time of the
Norman Conquest of
England in 1066 by Duke William of Normandy.
Early History of the Nantfeard family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nantfeard research.
Another 179 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nantfeard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Nantfeard Spelling Variations
Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of
spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into
England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly,
spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of
Cornwall and the rest of
England. The Cornish spoke a unique
Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Nanfan, Nanfant, Nantford and others.
Early Notables of the Nantfeard family (pre 1700)
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PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Nantfeard family to the New World and Oceana
Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Nantfeard were John Nanfant who settled in Carolina in 1710; and Francis Nantford who settled in Barbados in 1672.