Beauford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of Beauford

What does the name Beauford mean?

The Beauford surname is derived from a place name. As such it is categorized as a local surname, first used where the original bearer of the name lived, held land, or was born. In France, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. The place name Beaufort is derived from the Old French words "beau," which means "beautiful," and "fort," which means "strong," but which also refers to a military fort.

Early Origins of the Beauford family

The surname Beauford was first found in Savoy (French: Savoie) in the Rhône-Alpes region of the French Alps, where the family has held a family seat since ancient times.

Actually "there are several other places in France from which it may be derived, such as Beaufort in Champagne, the fief of the De Broyes, Beaufort-en-Santerre, Beaufort-sur-Meuse (Froissart dedicated the first volume of his Chronicles to Robert de Namur, Sire de Beaufort-sur-Meuse), and the Comte of Beaufort, confiscated from Jacques d'Armagnac, Due de Nemours, by Louis XI. in 1470, In the seventeenth century Jean Gaspard de Beaufort-Canillac was Marquis de Montboissier." 1

However, we must look to ancient England to find the first record of the family.

There are but few traces of it to be found in England. "Ralph Fitz Richard held Rochinges, Kent, from Hugh, Baron de Montfort, in 1086 2 and appears to have been the son of Richard, Sire de Beaufort in Anjou, whose daughter married Hugh, Baron de Montfort (Des Bois, Diet. de la Noblesse), ancestor of the Montforts of Beaudesert." 3

Obviously of Norman ancestry, John de Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset was born illegitimately between 1371 and 1373. He was the son of John of Gaunt. He was appointed Knight, Order of the Garter c. 1397. In February 1397 his illegitimate birth was legitimated by Parliament and Papal decree. He was the progenitor of the Beaufort family in England.

Early History of the Beauford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beauford research. Another 271 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1373, 1403, 1404, 1405, 1410, 1413, 1422, 1426, 1431, 1462, 1470, 1471, 1597 and 1616 are included under the topic Early Beauford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beauford Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Beaufort, Beaufor, Beaufors, Beauford, Beaufore, Beauforte, Baufort, Baufor, Baufors, Bauford, Baufore, Bauforte, Bofort, Bofor, Bofors, Boford, Bofore, Boforte, Beufort, Beufor, Beufors, Beufore, Beuforte and many more.

Early Notables of the Beauford family

Notable in the family name at this time was John Beaufort (1373-1410), 1st Marquess of Somerset, 1st Marquess of Dorset, later only 1st Earl of Somerset, first of the four illegitimate children of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress Katherine Swynford, later his wife, Constable...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beauford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beauford Ranking

In the United States, the name Beauford is the 14,988^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Beauford migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Beauford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Rich Beauford, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1635 5
Richard Beauford, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 5

Beauford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A Beauford, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Beauford (post 1700) +

Clayton Maurice Beauford (b. 1963), former professional American football player who played for the Cleveland Browns (1987)
Carter Anthony Beauford (b. 1957), American drummer, percussionist, and founding member of Dave Matthews Band
Thomas Beauford Tylecote, English Member of the University of Oxford from Tamworth, Staffordshire, matriculated 23 Oct., 1862, aged 19
Beauford H. Jester (1893-1949), American politician, Governor of Texas (1947 to 1949)
Beauford T Anderson (1922-1996), American soldier, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945 for heroism in WWII
Beauford Halbert Jester (1893-1949), American Democratic Party politician, Governor of Texas, 1947-49; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1948 6

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html