Burford
A habitational surname from places called Burford, especially in Oxfordshire and Shropshire.
The #6,861 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 62,945 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Burford comes from English place-names such as Burford in Oxfordshire and Shropshire. The name is usually explained as meaning “ford by a burh,” where Old English burh meant a fortified place or town, and ford referred to a river crossing. In later surname use, it simply marked someone as being from one of these places.
History
Medieval records show the name with forms like de Burford, reflecting the common practice of identifying people by their home village or town. It later spread beyond the original localities, especially into other parts of England and then overseas. The surname is still comparatively uncommon, but it is straightforwardly linked to place-based naming rather than a trade or personal nickname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower specifically lists Burford as a place-name source for surnames, and even notes related spellings like Boreford.
From the historical record
“Burfield, co. Oxon. H.R. BURFORD, Places In cos. Oxon and Salop. BURGER. Burgher; in Scotland the same as Burgess iu England. BURGESS. BURGES. A freeman of a corporate town or borough. ^^BURGH. A component sjdlable in many local surnames. It also stands alone, and may be derived from one or more of the various…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom