LAWFORD
The surname Lawford is of English origin and is a locational name derived from the Old English words hlaw meaning “hill” and ford meaning “a shallow place in a river where it can be crossed.” Consequently the literal meaning of the name is “the dweller at the hill by the ford.”
Lawford spring from a number of farms and hamlets in the British Isles, most notably in England. The principal settlements bearing the name include Lawford in Essex, recorded as Lalleford in the early 11th century Anglo‑Saxon wills and as Laleforda in the Domesday Book of 1086; Church—or Churche—and Long Lawford in Warwickshire, appearing in the Domesday Book as Leileforde, Lilleford and later as Long Lalleford in the 1235 Warwickshire Charter Rolls; and a locality named Lawford in the Williton rural district of Somerset. These sites were named after the personal name Lealla (cognate with the Old High German Lallo) combined with the common suffix ford. The surname was consequently borne by landowners, lords of the manor, and by those who left their place of birth and settled elsewhere, as seventeenth‑century migration prompted paper records of the name in more distant colonies.
The earliest surviving spelling of the family name is that of John Lawforde, who married Elizabeth Carlett at St. Giles’ Cripplegate, London, on 9 November 1569, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First. A later early record is the 1589 marriage of Thomas Lawford and Isabella Holbech at Fillongley, Warwickshire. In the 17th century the surname appears abroad; Dr. Richard Lawford is listed among the inhabitants of St. Michaell’s Town, Barbados, in 1680, evidencing the reach of the name beyond the mainland.
The Lawford family were awarded a heraldic achievement consisting of an azure shield bearing seven silver crescents arranged three, three and one. Each crescent traditionally conveys the virtues of faith and hope. The crest depicts an arrow pointing downwards and a palm branch in saltire, both rendered in their natural colours. These arms were granted to the family in recognition of their service and standing.
In modern times the surname Lawford remains uncommon within the United Kingdom. Although disparate branches have dispersed throughout the country and further afield, the name retains its distinctive identity as a marker of Anglo‑Saxon geography and heritage.
Typical given names associated with the Lawford surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- Jason
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Simon
Female
- Amanda
- Catherine
- Christine
- Claire
- Emma
- Gillian
- Gwendoline
- Joanne
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Sarah
- Susan
- Victoria
Similar and related surnames
- Laford
- Laufer
- Larford
- Lafford
- Lafforde
- Laffort
- Laforet
- Laforte
- Lafratta
- Larkford
- Larvor
- Lavard
- Laverde
- Lavert
- Lavorato
- Layford
- Leaford
- Leaphard
- Leffert
- Lefford
- Leford
- Lefort
- Leforte
- Leifert
- Lephard
- Levardi
- Levart
- Leveratt
- Leveret
- Leverett
- Leverette
- Leverit
- Leveritt
- Leverritt
- Levert
- Levorato
- Levrett
- Lievaart
- Liffard
- Lifford
- Liford
- Liphardt
- Liverd
- Liverett
- Loffreda
- Loffredo
- Loforte
- Lorford
- Louvard
- Lovard
- Loveard
- Loverett
- Lovert
- Lufford
- Luford
- Lyford
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Lawford in...
Braille
⠇⠁⠺⠋⠕⠗⠙
Morse
.-...-.--..-.---.-.-..
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,151 people named Lawford in the UK. That makes it roughly the 6,627th most common surname in Britain. Around 18 in a million people in Britain are named Lawford.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Lawford
- Peter Lawford - -American actor (1923 to 1984)
- Sydney Turing Barlow Lawford - (1865 to 1953)
- Betty Lawford - Actress (1912 to 1960)
- Herbert Lawford - Scottish tennis player (1851 to 1925)
- Dean Lawford - Rugby league football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.