| ![Show Contents]() Offord History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The distinguished surname Offord is derived from "Offord," a place name that can be found in both Huntingdonshire and Warwickshire. Early Origins of the Offord familyThe surname Offord was first found in Huntingdon, where the family was anciently seated as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. He granted lands to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family, and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Offord Cluny, held by Odo from Eustace the Sheriff, a Norman noble who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Early History of the Offord familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Offord research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1221, 1273, 1327 and 1349 are included under the topic Early Offord History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Offord Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Offord, Offorth, Oford, Oforth, Offorde, Afford, Afforde, Afforth, Afforthe, Offworth, Ofworth, Offwurth and many more. Early Notables of the Offord familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was - John Offord (died 1349), Chancellor and head of the royal administration to Edward III as well as being elected to the Archbishopric of Canterbury...
- His name was also spelt John de Ufford, and sometimes John de Offord...
 Offord migration to the United States | + |
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Offord name or one of its variants:
Offord Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Nicholas Offord, who was naturalized in Illinois in 1884
- Mr. J. A. Offord, aged 28, who settled in America, in 1894
Offord Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- John H. Offord, aged 44, who landed in America from Belchamp, England, in 1908
- Albert Hy Offord, aged 25, who landed in America from London, England, in 1909
- George V. Offord, aged 24, who landed in America from London, England, in 1909
- Robert James Offord, aged 19, who landed in America from London, England, in 1913
- Eustace Offord, aged 16, who immigrated to America from Hong Kong, China, in 1918
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Offord migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Offord Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Robert and Richard Offord, who were both recorded in the 1871 census of Ontario
| Offord 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: Offord Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- C. Offord, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888
| Contemporary Notables of the name Offord (post 1700) | + |
- Willie Offord (b. 1978), American NFL football player
- George T. Offord, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1972 1
- Raymond John Offord, Air Commodore AFC RAF R'td as a British Royal Air Force pilot
- Matthew James Offord (b. 1969), British Conservative Party politician
- Eddy Offord, noted British record producer and recording engineer
- Albert Cyril Offord FRS (1906-2000), British mathematician
- Adam Offord Buxton (b. 1969), English comedian, writer and actor who with Joe Cornish form the comedic duo Adam and Joe
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Offord migration to the United States 
Offord migration to Canada 
Offord migration to New Zealand 
