Staniforth is an

English surname English names are names used in, or originating in, England. In England as elsewhere in the English-speaking world, a complete name usually consists of a given name, commonly referred to as a first name, and a (most commonly patrilineal) famil ...

, a variation of the name "

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

". Old English surnames were in particular a description of one's profession such as "Smith" or "Thatcher" or described an area in which one lived. Blackburn Brook 22-04-06

The name of Stanford is believed to be of ancient Saxon origin and to have been derived from the words ''stan'', meaning "

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

", and ''

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

'', meaning "river-crossing". It was undoubtedly first given to a place answering that description (there were ten parishes of the name in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

) and was taken therefrom by its first bearer because of his residence there at the time of the adoption of surnames in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. Sheffield historian

David Hey David G. Hey (18 July 1938 – 14 February 2016) was an English historian, and was an authority on surnames and the local history of Yorkshire. Hey was the president of the British Association for Local History, and was a published author of seve ...

writes about a potential location on the

Blackburn Brook The Blackburn Brook is a stream in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which flows through the Blackburn Valley along the M1 and Ecclesfield Road and joins the River Don near the Meadowhall shopping centre. Downstream from the A61 road at Ch ...

Ecclesfield Ecclesfield is a village and civil parish in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, about 4 miles (6 km) north of Sheffield City Centre. Ecclesfield civil parish had a population of 32,073 at the 2011 Census. Ecclesfield wards ...

that contained a farm known as Stonyford Farm. The 1434 Ecclesfield court rolls mention John of Stannyford passing on land in 'Stanyford' to his son Richard further backs up this claim. It is found in ancient records in the various spellings of Staniford, Staniforth, Stanforth, Stamforth, Standiford, Stanniford, Staynfor, Stanforde, Stannyforthe, Standford and Stanford, of which the form last mentioned is that most generally used in North America today. Among the early records of the family in England are those of Adam de Stanford, of Oxford County in 1273. Probably the first of the name in America were Richard and John Stanford of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

in 1635. The Staniforth spelling in particular appears to be concentrated in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. Many of the same spelling emigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

and America in the early-to-middle 19th century. People named Staniforth include: * Allan Staniforth, engineer and racecar engineer * Archer Christopher Staniforth, footballer * Charles Staniforth Hext, Military captain * David Staniforth (field hockey), hockey player *

David Staniforth (footballer) David Albry Staniforth (born 6 October 1950) is a former professional association football, footballer who played in The Football League for Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United, Bristol Rovers F.C., Bristol Rovers, Bradford City A.F.C., Brad ...

(born 1950), English footballer *

Edwin Wilfred Stanyforth Lieutenant-Colonel Edwin Wilfrid Stanyforth CB TD DL JP (born Greenwood; 28 June 1861 – 28 January 1939) was a Yorkshire land owner, magistrate and British Army Territorial officer who commanded the Yorkshire Hussars during World War I. He ...

, British Army Commander * Gordon Staniforth, footballer *

Joseph Morewood Staniforth Joseph Morewood Staniforth (better known as J.M. Staniforth) (1864 – 21 December 1921) was a Welsh editorial cartoonist best known for his work in the '' Western Mail'', ''Evening Express'' and Sunday weekly the ''News of the World''. Stanifor ...

, editorial cartoonist * Michael Staniforth, actor *

John Staniforth John Staniforth (1771–1830) was a British politician and director of the Bank of England. Early life John Staniforth was the son of Charles Staniforth, a merchant of both the Broad Street Buildings, London and Kingston-Upon-Hull, and his wi ...

, politician * John William Staniforth, writer * Scott Staniforth, rugby player * Tom Staniforth, rugby player *

Thomas Staniforth Thomas Staniforth (1735–1803) was an English slave-trader, merchant and politician. He was originally from Sheffield, but spent most of his life in Liverpool. Staniforth was the son of Samuel Staniforth Esq. and Alethea Macro of Darnall Hal ...

, English priest * Fred Staniforth, footballer *

, Lord Mayor of Liverpool *

Thomas Worsley Staniforth Thomas Worsley Staniforth (7 June 1845 – 25 March 1909) was a British hymn writer. Life Thomas was born in Sheffield, England to Thomas Staniforth, a Grinder and Cordelia Worsley. His family lived in the Wicker area of the city. Prior to beco ...

, Hymn composer *

Samuel Staniforth Samuel Staniforth (26 February 1769 – 5 April 1851) was an English slave-trader, merchant and politician originally from Liverpool. Staniforth was the son of Thomas Staniforth and Elizabeth Goore. The family was a prominent family from Darnal ...

, Lord Mayor of Liverpool (son of the above) *

R. T. Stanyforth Lieutenant-Colonel Ronald Thomas "Rony" Stanyforth, (30 May 1892 – 20 February 1964) was an Army officer and English amateur first-class cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, captaining England in the four Tes ...

, England Test Cricket captain * Reverend Oswald Staniforth, English author and Franciscan friar * Ron Staniforth, footballer *Thomas Staniforth, founder and namesake of Thomas Staniforth & Co Scytheworks *

Miles Staniforth Cater Smith Miles Staniforth Cater Smith, (25 February 1869 – 14 January 1934) was an Australian politician, public servant and explorer. He served as a Senator for Western Australia from 1901 to 1906 and was later a senior public servant in the T ...

, Australian politician * Alex Staniforth, Adventurer * Lucy Staniforth, footballer *

Graydon Staniforth Graydon Staniforth (born 23 November 1973 in West Wyalong, Australia) is a former Australian Sevens international rugby union player and now coach who played fullback and on the wing for Glasgow Warriors. Staniforth started playing with Austra ...

, Australian rugby player *

Maxwell Staniforth John Hamilton Maxwell Staniforth CBE (23 June 1893 – 26 December 1985), known to his family as Max, was a British soldier, railwayman, radio presenter, clergyman and scholar. Early life and education Staniforth born in Hinderwell, Yorkshire, ...

, Soldier and Clergyman * Nate Staniforth, American magician and author * Staniforth Ricketson, Australian stockbroker * William Staniforth, 18th Century Surgeon *William Thomas Staniforth, founder of the

Ascend Cutlery Works Ascend Cutlery Works was a cutlery manufacturing company based in Sheffield, England. The company was founded by William Thomas Staniforth in 1849 on Arundel Lane and was noted for its razors, table knives, and scissors. When William Thomas St ...

Places

Staniforth Road Staniforth Road is located in Sheffield, England. It connects the Attercliffe and Darnall areas of the city. Historically the road has been used as a shopping street, with notable businesses being present over the years, including 2 cinemas, ...

, Sheffield, England *

Staniforth Range Staniforth Range is a mountain range located in Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea. Yeripa and Taripa villages are the nearest populated places to the range. History The mountain range is named after Miles Staniforth Cater Smith, an Australian pol ...

, Papua New Guinea

Other

* Hoole, Staniforth and Co

External links

The Staniforth Society
- genealogical organisation {{surname English-language surnames