Contents [hide]

Stanford History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Stanford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The Stanford family name comes from having lived in one of the many parishes names Stanford, which meant "stone ford." 1 2 3 "There are no less than ten parishes in the south of England of this name." 4

Examples include: Stanford, Kent, which dates back to Saxon times when it was known as Stanford in 1035; Stanford Bishop, Herefordshire, dating back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Stanford 5; and Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, listed as Stanworde in the Domesday Book. 5

Early Origins of the Stanford family

The surname Stanford was first found in Staffordshire where William de Stanford was registered in the Pipe Rolls of 1190-1191. Later in Yorkshire, we found Thomas de Stanford in 1252 and in Leicestershire we found William Staunforde in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327. A few years later, John Stanford was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1332. 6

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include: Adam de Stanford, Oxfordshire; and Symon de Stanford, Huntingdonshire. 4 In Somerset, early rolls there reveal Florentia de Stanforde, 2 Edward III (during the second year of the reign of King Edward III.) 7

Further to the north in Scotland, the name is "of English origin from one or other of several places of the name. Adam de Stanford witnessed the grant by William the Lion of burgh and market to the church of Glasgow, c. 1175, and another charter by same king to the church of Paisley. Robert de Standford witnessed sale of a toft to the canons of Scone in 1219, and Roger de Staunforth was vicar of Banchrytarnny in 1262." 8

Early History of the Stanford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stanford research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1175, 1461, 1509, 1528, 1536, 1547, 1552 and 1558 are included under the topic Early Stanford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stanford Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Stanford, Standerford and others.

Early Notables of the Stanford family

Notables of the family at this time include

Sir William Stanford, Staunford or Stamford (1509-1558), English judge, born at Hadley, Middlesex, on 22 Aug...
1509, son of William Stanford, mercer, of London...
His grandfather was Robert Stanford of Rowley, Staffordshire...
In Edward VI's first parliament Stanford represented Newcastle-under-Lyme (13 Oct...

Stanford Ranking

In the United States, the name Stanford is the 1,229^th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 9 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Stanford is ranked the 721^st most popular surname with an estimated 60 people with that name. 10

Migration of the Stanford family to Ireland

Some of the Stanford family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stanford migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Stanford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Stanford, who arrived in Virginia in 1633 11
Mr. Ricr Stanford, aged 25, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "Primrose" in 1635 12
Ann Stanford, who settled in Virginia in 1637
Richard Stanford, who arrived in Maryland in 1648 11
Nell Stanford, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Stanford Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Lidia Stanford, who landed in Virginia in 1701 11

Stanford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Stanford, aged 34, who landed in Virginia in 1812 11
S Stanford, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 11
Charles Stanford, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 11
Dewitt Stanford, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 11
William Stanford, who arrived in Arkansas in 1894 11

Stanford migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Stanford Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Stanford, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Thomas Stanford, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. William Stanford U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1793 he served in the Royal Regiment of New York 13

Stanford Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Henry Stanford, who settled in Adam's Cove, Newfoundland in 1800 14

Stanford migration to Australia +

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

Stanford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Stanford, British Convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 11th August 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
Mr. William Stanford, (Stanmore), British Convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for life for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eleanor" on 26th June 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
Mr. Thomas Stanford, English convict who was convicted in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 17
Henry Stanford, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1838 18
Thomas Stanford, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1838 18
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Stanford Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

"Mrs. Dinah Stanford, (b. 1802), aged 26, English house maid who was convicted in Sussex, England for life for highway robbery, transported aboard the ""Competitor"" on 9th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia" 19

Stanford 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:

Stanford Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Stanford, British settler travelling from London via Plymouth aboard the ship "Tasmania" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on to Lyttelton on 26th February 1853 20
Louisa Stanford, aged 21, a cook, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1873
Thomas Stanford, aged 24, a blacksmith, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dorette" in 1874 21
Jessie E. Stanford, aged 20, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dorette" in 1874 21
Mr. Thomas B. Stanford, (b. 1850), aged 24, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 22
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Stanford migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 23

Stanford Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. John Stanford, (b. 1611), aged 24, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 24
Robert Stanford and his wife Mary and son Robert arrived in Barbados in 1678

Contemporary Notables of the name Stanford (post 1700) +

Thomas Gerald Stanford (1924-2017), German-born, American film editor who won an Academy Award for Best Film Editing for the film West Side Story (1961)
Phil Stanford, American journalist and author
Craig Stanford (b. 1956), American Professor of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at the University of Southern California
Angela Gwen Stanford (b. 1977), American LPGA professional golfer
Aaron Stanford (b. 1976), American film actor, best known for his roles as Pyro in X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand
Sir Allen Stanford (b. 1950), American billionaire convicted of masterminding a $7 billion Ponzi scheme, sentenced 110 years in federal prison
Leland Stanford (1824-1893), American railroad builder, politician, and philanthropist, founder of Stanford University, California
Frank Stanford (1948-1978), American poet
Charles Stanford (1823-1886), English divine, born at Green Lane, Northampton, son of Joseph Stanford, shoemaker (d. 1862)
Alan Stanford (b. 1949), English born actor, director and writer
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Stanford family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Dennis Stanford, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking, was later killed in action in 1942 25

North Sea Flood

John R. Stanford, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" who survived the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eleanor
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJASTHAN 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Rajasthan.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html