Ford (surname)

The surname Ford has several origins. In some cases it originated as a name for someone who lived near a ford,[1] and is therefore derived from the Old English and Middle English ford.[2] In some cases, the surname is derived from places named Ford. Examples of such places include Ford in Northumberland[3] (from Old English ford),[4] a place in Somerset,[5] Ford in Shropshire[3] (from Old English ford),[4] Ford in West Sussex[3] (from Old English ford),[4] and Forde in Dorset.[3]

In other cases, the surname is sometimes an anglicised form of three Irish surnames. Two such surnames are Mac Giolla na Naomh, a name meaning "son of Gilla na Naomh"; and Mac Conshámha, a name meaning "son of Conshnámha".[6] These surnames were anglicised Ford because their final syllable was once erroneously thought to be the Irish áth ("ford").[3] Another Irish surname anglicised Ford is Ó Fuartháin, a name meaning "descendant of Fuarthán".[7] The personal name Fuartháin, derived from the Irish fuar ("cold"), was once taken to represent the Irish fuarathán ("cold little ford"), which led the name to be erroneously translated "ford".[8] The former two Irish surnames were borne by septs centred in the province of Connacht, whilst the latter was borne by a sept centred in County Cork (in the province of Munster).[9]

In some cases the surname Ford is an americanized form of like-sounding Jewish surnames, or else a translated form of the German Fürth.[3] Early instances of the surname Ford include de la forda in the eleventh century, æt Fordan in the twelfth-century, de la Forthe in the thirteenth-century, and Foorde[5] and de Furd in the fifteenth century.[10] The surname Ford, when found in Ireland, may be of English or Irish origin since many Ford families have immigrated to Ireland at various times in history. For example, a particular noted family of the name in County Meath emigrated from Devon in the fourteenth century.[11] In Ireland, birth records for the year 1890 reveal that the surname Ford was much less common than the variant Forde (154 births compared to only 39).[12]

  1. ^ Ford Family History; Reaney 2006 p. 1200; Reaney 1995 p. 174; Black 1971 pp. 271–272.
  2. ^ Ford Family History; Reaney 2006 p. 1200; Reaney 1995 p. 174.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Ford Family History.
  4. ^ a b c Mills 2003.
  5. ^ a b Reaney 2006 p. 1200; Reaney 1995 p. 174.
  6. ^ Ford Family History; Grehan 1997 p. 125; The Great Families of Ireland p. 145; MacLysaght 1972 pp. 150–151.
  7. ^ Ford Family History; Foran Family History; Grehan 1997 p. 124; The Great Families of Ireland p. 145; MacLysaght 1972 pp. 150–151.
  8. ^ Ford Family History; Foran Family History.
  9. ^ Grehan 1997 pp. 124–125; O'Laughlin 1992 p. 114; The Great Families of Ireland p. 145; MacLysaght 1972 pp. 150–151.
  10. ^ Black 1971 pp. 271–272.
  11. ^ Grehan 1997 p. 125; O'Laughlin 1992 p. 114; The Great Families of Ireland p. 145; MacLysaght 1972 pp. 150–151.
  12. ^ The Great Families of Ireland p. 145.