De beaufort History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of De beaufort

What does the name De beaufort mean?

The De beaufort 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 De beaufort family

The surname De beaufort 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 De beaufort family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our De beaufort 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 De beaufort History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

De beaufort 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 De beaufort family

Notable in the family name at this time was

Henry Beaufort, Lord Chancellor and Bishop of Winchester, The title of Duc de Beaufort was created for Gabrielle d'Estrées, Marquise de Monceaux, the mistress of King Henri IV in 1597

Migration of the De beaufort family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Gaspar Beaufort who settled in Philadelphia in 1775; Philip Beaufort settled in Philadelphia in 1834; Rich. Beaufort, aged 18; settled in Virginia in 1635.

Contemporary Notables of the name De beaufort (post 1700) +

Daniel Augustus de Beaufort (1739-1821), English Anglican priest and geographer, rector of Navan, County Meath, Ireland, from 1765 to 1818, son of Daniel Cornelius
Daniel Cornelius de Beaufort (1700-1788), German-born, English Anglican minister, rector of St Mary the Virgin church, East Barnet, London, father of Daniel Augustus
Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort (1879-1968), Dutch biologist
Carel Godin de Beaufort (1934-1964), Dutch nobleman and motorsport driver from the Netherlands
India de Beaufort (b. 1987), born India Beaufort Lloyd, a British actress and singer-songwriter from Kingston upon Thames, Surrey

Sources +

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)