Show ContentsWilford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Wilford family, who lived in Nottinghamshire, at Wilford. This placename is derived from the name Norman-French name Will, a pet form of William and the word ford, meaning a river crossing, and indicates that the ford in question belonged to William.

Early Origins of the Wilford family

The surname Wilford was first found in Nottinghamshire at Wilford (also known as Wilfrids Ford) a parish and village in the union of Basford, in the north division of the wapentake of Rushcliffe.

The village dates back to at least the Domesday Book when it was listed as Wilesford [1] and literally meant "willow-tree ford," from the Old English words "wilig" + "ford." [2] At that time, the land was held William Peverel, a Norman Baron, who was granted the fishery in the district of Clifton. Wilford House was built by Henry Smith, Esq. in 1828. [3]

Saint Wilfrid or Wilfrith (634-709), was Bishop of York, the son of a Northumbrian thegn. "In his fourteenth year he was a handsome and well-mannered lad, fond of arms, horses, and fine clothes, but he was not happy, for he had an unkind stepmother, and he wished to enter a monastery. His father sent him to the court of Oswy [q. v.], where he pleased the queen, Eanflaed. After spending a year in Kent he left England in 653 in company with Benedict Biscop. " [4]

Wulfred (d. 832), was Archbishop of Canterbury and "first appears as Archdeacon under Archbishop Ethelhard. He had large estates in Kent, and was probably a Kentish man. " [4]

Early History of the Wilford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wilford research. Another 57 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1395, 1397, 1404, 1411, 1413, 1414, 1418, 1450, 1479, 1499, 1507, 1516, 1544, 1545, 1547 and 1550 are included under the topic Early Wilford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilford Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Wilfoord, Williford, Wilfort, Wilford and others.

Early Notables of the Wilford family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • John Wilford (died 1418) English politician from Exeter, Devon who represented Exeter in April 1414 and November 1414. His brother, William Wilford (died 1413), was also an English politician for Exet...
  • Ralph Wulford or Wilford (1479?-1499), was and English pretender, born about 1479, is described in 'Fabyan's Chronicle' as son of a cordwainer in London, and he was not improbably a member of the Lond...
  • Sir James Wilford or Wilsford (1516?-1550), was English defender of Haddington, born about 1516, the eldest son of Thomas Wilford of Hartridge, Kent. "The family came originally from Devonshire, but S...

Wilford Ranking

In the United States, the name Wilford is the 8,336th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [5]


United States Wilford migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Wilford or a variant listed above:

Wilford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Edward Wilford, who landed in Virginia in 1635 [6]
  • William Wilford, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 [6]
Wilford Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Charles Wilford, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 [6]
  • Sarah Wilford, who landed in Virginia in 1701 [6]
  • Eleanor Wilford and her husband arrived in Maryland in 1733
  • Joseph and Hannah Wilford, who arrived in New England in 1766

Canada Wilford migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wilford Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Richard Wilford, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Australia Wilford migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Wilford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Wilford, English convict who was convicted in Lincolnshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 30th June 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) [7]

New Zealand Wilford 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:

Wilford Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Arthur Wilford, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Wilford (post 1700) +

  • Sara Delano Roosevelt Whitney diBonaventura Wilford (1932-2021), American psychologist from Boston, who taught at Sarah Lawrence College from 1982 to 2014
  • Mark Wilford (b. 1959), American climber and alpinist known for his bold yet traditional style
  • Ernest Wilford (b. 1979), American former NFL football wide receiver who played from 2004 to 2010
  • John Noble Wilford (b. 1933), American award-winning journalist for The New York Times
  • Michael Wilford CBE (1938-2023), English architect from Hartfield, East Sussex, awarded the Stirling Prize (1997)
  • Aron Wilford (b. 1982), English footballer who has played since 1999
  • John Wilford (1723-1742), English bookseller; he began issuing a monthly circular of new books in 1723 [8]
  • Marty Wilford (b. 1977), Canadian retired professional NHL ice hockey defenceman
  • Colonel Derek Wilford OBE, British Army officer who commanded the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment in Derry, Northern Ireland on Bloody Sunday in 1972
  • Sir Thomas Mason Wilford KCMG KC (1870-1939), New Zealand politician from Lower Hutt, 8th Leader of the Opposition (1920-1925), 18th Mayor of Wellington (1910-1911)


  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. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
  8. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 31 Jan. 2019


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