Show ContentsSeftynd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Seftynd family

The surname Seftynd was first found in Lancashire (now Merseyside) at Sefton, a village and civil parish which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Sextone 1 and literally meant "farmstead where rushes grow," from the Old Scandinavian word "sef" + the Old English word "tun." 2

One of the first records of the family was Henry de Sefton who was listed in the Assize Rolls for Lancashire in 1285. 3

Early History of the Seftynd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Seftynd research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1285, 1593, 1595, 1602, 1686, 1756, 1761 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Seftynd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Seftynd Spelling Variations

Anglo-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 Sefton, Sephton, Septon and others.

Early Notables of the Seftynd family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Seftynd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Seftynd family

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 Seftynd name or one of its variants: John Septon, who arrived in Virginia in 1650; William Sephton, who was send to the Windward Islands in 1722; Judith Septon, who came to America in 1744.



  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook