Stafford Family History

Stafford Surname Meaning

English: habitational name principally from Stafford (Staffordshire) but occasionally from other places with similar names such as Stafford House in Ifield (Sussex), possibly East and West Stowford in East Down (Devon), and three minor places in Devon called Stafford in Dolton, Broadhembury, and Colyton parishes.

The places are all named with Old English ford ‘ford’ as the final element but have different initial elements. The Staffordshire placename has Old English stæth ‘river bank, shore’; Stafford in Colyton (Devon) has Old English stān ‘stone, rock’;

the Sussex placename has Old English stēor ‘steer, bullock’; East and West Stowford (Devon) have Old English stæf ‘staff, stave, rod’; Stafford in Dolton and Stafford in Broadhembury (Devon) may have Old English stæth, stān, or stæf.

Irish (Wexford): variant of Stocker.

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

Similar surnames: Stanford, Trafford, Safford, Pafford, Stratford, Swafford, Seaford, Spofford, Clifford, Alford

472K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
55K	Military Records
37K	Immigration Records
319K	Census and Voter Lists
2M	Member Trees

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Where is the Stafford family from?

You can see how Stafford families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Stafford family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Stafford families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 431 Stafford families living in Ontario. This was about 51% of all the recorded Stafford's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Stafford families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Stafford surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Stafford

What did your Stafford ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Clerk were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Stafford. 42% of Stafford men worked as a Farmer and 19% of Stafford women worked as a Clerk. Some less common occupations for Americans named Stafford were Clerk and Servant.

View Census Data for Stafford

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.

Farmer

42%

Labourer

12%

Laborer

Clerk

19%

Income

Stenographer

Servant

What Stafford family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 319K census records available for the last name Stafford. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Stafford census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Stafford

Passenger List

There are 37K immigration records available for the last name Stafford. 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.

View all Stafford immigration records

Military Records

There are 55K military records available for the last name Stafford. For the veterans among your Stafford ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Stafford military records

You've only scratched the surface of Stafford family history

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What is the average Stafford lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Stafford life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Stafford in 1940 was 45, and 73 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Stafford family tree

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Search for another surname

Stafford Surname Meaning

Irish (Wexford): variant of Stocker.

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

Where is the Stafford family from?

What did your Stafford ancestors do for a living?

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.

Farmer

42%

Labourer

12%

Laborer

Clerk

19%

Income

Stenographer

Servant

What Stafford family records will you find?

What is the average Stafford lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Stafford life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Stafford in 1940 was 45, and 73 in 2004.

Stafford Family History

Stafford Surname Meaning

3 million record(s) for Stafford

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Stafford family from?

What did your Stafford ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Stafford family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Stafford family history

What is the average Stafford lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Stafford family tree

Search for another surname

Stafford Surname Meaning

3 million record(s) for Stafford

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Stafford family from?

What did your Stafford ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Stafford family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Stafford family history

What is the average Stafford lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Stafford family tree

Search for another surname