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Stanford Family History

Stanford Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of various places so called including Stanford (Bedfordshire Kent) Stanford Dingley and Stanford in the Vale (Berkshire) Stanford le Hope and Stanford Rivers (Essex) Stanford Bishop and Stanford Regis (Herefordshire) Stanford on Avon (Northamptonshire) Stanford on Soar (Nottinghamshire) and Stanford on Teme (Worcestershire); also from Stamford (Lincolnshire Northumberland) Stamford Bridge (East Yorkshire) and Standford in Headley (Hampshire) all of which appear as Stanford in medieval documents. The placenames all derive from Old English stān ‘stone rock’ + ford ‘ford’. This surname has been established in Ireland since the 16th century where it is also found under the variant Stankard.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Stafford, Stratford, Sandford, Hanford, Cranford, Swinford, Branford

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Where is the Stanford family from?

You can see how Stanford families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Stanford family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Stanford families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 73 Stanford families living in Ontario. This was about 40% of all the recorded Stanford's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Stanford families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Stanford surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Stanford ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Revenuer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Stanford. 22% of Stanford men worked as a Farmer and 28% of Stanford women worked as a Revenuer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Stanford were Student and Servant. .

View Census Data for Stanford | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    22%
  • Labourer
    13%
  • Carpenter
    10%
  • Student
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Revenuer
    28%
  • Operator
    19%
  • Stenographer
    19%
  • Servant
    19%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Stanford family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 141,000 census records available for the last name Stanford. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Stanford census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Stanford

Passenger Lists

There are 12,000 immigration records available for the last name Stanford. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 28,000 military records available for the last name Stanford. For the veterans among your Stanford ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Stanford lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Stanford life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1940, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Stanford in 1940 was 31, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Stanford

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