The name Uforth first arose amongst the
Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in either of the settlements called Ufford in the counties of Northamptonshire and
Suffolk. The surname Uforth belongs to the large category of
Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
Early Origins of the Uforth family
The surname Uforth was first found in
Suffolk at Ufford, a parish, in the union of Woodbridge,
hundred of Wilford.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print. Ufford is also a civil parish in the city of Peterborough,
Cambridgeshire. Both parishes are ancient. The
Cambridgeshire parish dates back to Saxon times when it was first listed as Uffawyrtha in 948. The
Suffolk parish dates back to the
Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Uffeworda.
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) Both essentially mean "enclosure of a man called Uffa," from the Old English
personal name + "worth."
[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4) "Of this family, which afterwards arrived to great honour, Robert, a younger son of John de Peyton, of Peyton in the county of
Suffolk, assumed his surname from the lordship of Ufford, in that shire, became Robert de Ufford. His son was summoned to Parliament as a
Baron in 1308, and his grandson, also a Robert de Ufford, was created Earl of
Suffolk. "
[4]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print. The
Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 may confirm this claim as Robert de Ufford was listed in
Suffolk at that time.
[5]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6) Later the Feet of Fines listed Thomas Ufford in
Essex in 1391.
[6]CITATION[CLOSE]
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Early History of the Uforth family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Uforth research.
Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1308, 1631, 1345, 1346, 1413, 1404 and 1349 are included under the topic Early Uforth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Uforth Spelling Variations
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The
spelling variations under which the name Uforth has appeared include Ufford, Ufforde and others.
Early Notables of the Uforth family (pre 1700)
Notables of the family at this time include Maud de Ufford, Countess of Oxford (1345/1346-1413), a wealthy English noblewoman and the wife of Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford, only child was Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, the favourite of King Richard II of
England, took part in...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Uforth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Uforth family to the New World and Oceana
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in
England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left
England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Uforth arrived in North America very early: Isabel Ufford, who settled in Boston in 1632; along with John, Thomas; John Ufford settled in Barbados in 1680.