Summerford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Summerford

What does the name Summerford mean?

Summerford is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the small English town of Somerford found in the county of Wiltshire.

Early Origins of the Summerford family

The surname Summerford was first found in Wiltshire where there is a Great Somerford and Little Somerford. Both date back to 937 when they were listed simply as Sumerford. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, the village was listed as Sumreford. The placename literally means "ford usable in the summer," from the Old English sumor + ford. 1 Somerford Keynes is located in Gloucestershire and that locale dates back further to 685 when it was listed as Sumerford.

Early History of the Summerford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Summerford research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Summerford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Summerford Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Summerford family name include Somerford, Somerfield and others.

Early Notables of the Summerford family

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

Summerford migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Summerford surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Summerford Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

William Summerford, aged 18, who arrived in New York in 1917 aboard the ship "Palm Branch" from Huelva, Spain 2
William Summerford, aged 19, who arrived in New York in 1918 aboard the ship "Palm Branch" from Gibraltar, Spain 2

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result