Ford
A common surname from someone who lived by a river crossing or ford.
The #137 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,670 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ford comes from Old English ford, meaning a shallow place where a river or stream could be crossed on foot or horseback. As a surname, it usually identified someone who lived near such a crossing or came from a place named Ford. Related place-names such as Milford and Aldeford preserve the same element.
History
The name is widespread across England because fords were common and many villages and hamlets were named from them. It later spread throughout the English-speaking world through migration, especially from Britain to North America and other former English colonies. The surname also appears in many compound place-based forms and related surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A ford was so important in medieval travel that it often became the defining feature of an entire place-name, and then of the surname attached to it.
From the historical record
“Vet'stegan. FORD. Parishes and places in cos. Durham, Sussex, Bucks, Northumberland, Salop, Wilts, Devon, &c. FORDER. 1. Avillaoenoar Trematonin Cornwall. 2. A niodilication of At Ford. See termination ek. FORDI-IAM. Parishes in cos. Cambridge, Essex, and Norfolk. FOR DR ED. An ancient personal name.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Ford
- Henry Ford (1863–1947)
- Gerald Ford (1913–2006)
- Harrison Ford (b. 1942)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.