Medford
A locational surname originally taken from a place name meaning “ford by the meadow” or “ford near the mead,” depending on the local English source.
The #8,089 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 75,322 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Medford is a place-name surname from English Medford, most likely built from Old English elements for “mead” or “meadow” plus “ford,” meaning a river crossing by a meadow or mead-land. Because several English place-names can produce the same surname form, the exact local origin can vary from family to family. The name is therefore best understood as a surname taken from a settlement or estate called Medford rather than from a personal nickname or occupation.
History
The surname appears in English records as a locational name and later spread to North America with English migration. In the United States it is now uncommon but established, especially in New England and other regions with early English settlement. The given excerpts do not provide a direct dictionary etymology, so the explanation rests on standard surname formation patterns for English place-names.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medford is also the name of several places in the English-speaking world, so different unrelated families can arrive at the same surname independently.
From the historical record
“Carary (" Carrara " ?) appears in our records (1674). Li L. 588, f 73, is a deed of Mr. Copenhagen. Haverhill is found at Medford ; Glasko, at Gris- wold, Conn.; Florence, at New London; Viannah (" Vienna "), at Wenham ; London, at Bridgewater, Me. ; LuNNON, at Lowell ; Bristol, at Lee ; Lima, at”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)