Willfard is a name that first reached
England following the
Norman Conquest of 1066. The Willfard family 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 Willfard family
The surname Willfard 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]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) and literally meant "willow-tree ford," from the Old English words "wilig" + "ford."
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4) 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]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Early History of the Willfard family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Willfard research.
Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 145 and 1450 are included under the topic Early Willfard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Willfard Spelling Variations
It is only in the last few
hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Willfard are characterized by many
spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Willfard include Wilfoord, Williford, Wilfort, Wilford and others.
Early Notables of the Willfard family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Willfard Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Willfard family to the New World and Oceana
Faced with the chaos present in
England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as
Australia and
Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from
England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Willfard, or a variant listed above: Joseph and Hannah Wilford arrived in New
England in 1766; Eleanor Wilford and her husband arrived in Maryland in 1733. Joh Wilfort arrived in Philadelphia in 1849..