Gifford
A surname of Norman French or English place-name origin, often traced to the medieval personal name Giffard and meaning something like “gift-liberal” or “broad-faced,” depending on which old explanation you follow.
The #1,834 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,822 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is usually explained in one of two ways. Some sources connect it with the Norman French personal name Giffard or Giffard, which older writers glossed as “liberal” or “open-handed,” while others relate it to an Old English personal name such as Gīfhēard, built from elements meaning “gift” and “hardy/brave.” In many cases, the surname may also have developed from the medieval personal name rather than directly from a place-name.
History
The name appears early in Norman and English records, especially among families associated with Normandy and post-Conquest England. Lower treated the Giffards as a notable Norman line, and later surname books also note forms in medieval English documents. In Scotland, related local forms such as those from Haddington and Ayrshire may have contributed to some modern bearers of the name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A medieval Giffard family was prominent enough that early surname books linked the name to the Norman elite and to lands in both Normandy and England.
From the historical record
“GIFFORD. GIFFARD. The old his- torical Gifl'ards of Normandy and England descended from the De Bollebecs, who were connected by marria^^e with Richard I., Duke of Noi-mandy. Walter, son of Osborne de Bollebec, though surnamed " Giffard," or " the Liberal," seems also to have been conservatwe in the acquisition and…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom