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Spafford History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Spafford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Spafford comes from when the family resided in the parish of Spofforth in Knaresborough in Yorkshire.

Early Origins of the Spafford family

The surname Spafford was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Spoffarth, a parish, in the Upper division of the wapentake of Claro. "This place was the residence of the Percy family previously to their settlement at Alnwick, and possessed a formidable castle, their baronial seat, which was demolished by the Yorkists after the battle of Towton, in which the Earl of Northumberland, and his brother Sir Charles Percy, were slain. The remains consist chiefly of the grand hall, which, though a ruin, retains much of its ancient magnificence. The church is a spacious and handsome structure, partly in the Norman and early English styles, and contains a monument with a recumbent figure of a Knight Templar. " 1

Listed as Spoford in the Domesday Book of 1086, by 1218 the parish was known as Spotford. Literally the place name means "ford by a small plot of ground," from the Old English words "spot" + "ford." 2

Early History of the Spafford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spafford research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1421 and 1448 are included under the topic Early Spafford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spafford Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Spafford include Spaford, Spafford, Spafforde, Spafforth and others.

Early Notables of the Spafford family

More information is included under the topic Early Spafford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spafford Ranking

In the United States, the name Spafford is the 15,335^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Spafford migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Spafford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Spafford Sr. who settled in New England in 1643
John, Spafford Sr., who arrived in New England in 1643 4

Spafford Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Spafford, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1779

Spafford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William N. Spafford, who arrived in Utah in 1850
David Spafford arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850
Jessie I. Spafford, aged 40, who immigrated to America, in 1893
Mrs. Julia Spafford, aged 31, who landed in America, in 1893
George H. Spafford, aged 23, who settled in America, in 1895
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Spafford Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Bertha M. Spafford, who settled in America, in 1903
B. Spafford, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1905
Lizzie Spafford, aged 48, who landed in America, in 1905
Miss A.F. Spafford, aged 29, who arrived at New York, in 1907
Howsin Spafford, aged 28, who landed in America from London, England, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Spafford migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Spafford Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Margaret Spafford, who arrived in Canada in 1858

Spafford Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Anna E. Spafford, aged 23, who immigrated to London, Canada, in 1919
Annie Spafford, aged 18, who settled in St. John's Newfoundland, in 1923
Fred Spafford, aged 10, who settled in St. John's Newfoundland in 1923
Mary Spafford, aged 20, who settled in St. John's Newfoundland, in 1923

Contemporary Notables of the name Spafford (post 1700) +

Michael Charles Spafford (1935-2022), American artist from Palm Springs, California, known for his archetypal, figurative oil paintings drawn from Classical mythology
Marion Isabelle Sims Smith Spafford (1895-1982), ninth general president of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)
Suzy Spafford (b. 1945), American cartoonist best known for "Suzy's Zoo" characters on greeting cards
Harry Spafford, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for New York State Assembly from Erie County 4th District, 1919 5
George Spafford (1794-1849), American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Windham, 1826, 1832; Member of Connecticut State Senate 13th District, 1834, 1838 5
Edward Elwell Spafford (1878-1941), American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 14th District, 1930 5
Ebenezer Spafford, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Lebanon, 1834 5
E. A. Spafford, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1956 5
Dwight S. Spafford, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1888 5
Charles H. Spafford, American politician, Postmaster at Rockford, Illinois, 1843-45, 1871-75 5
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Spafford Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fidelis ad extremum
Motto Translation: Faithful to the extreme.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html