Staniforth is an

English surname English names are names used in, or originating in, England. In England as elsewhere in the English-speaking world, a complete name usually consists of a given name, commonly referred to as a first name, and a (most commonly patrilineal) family ...

, a variation of the name "

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

surnames were in particular a description of one's profession such as "Smith" or "Thatcher" or described an area in which one lived. Blackburn Brook 22-04-06

The name of Stanford is believed to be of ancient Saxon origin and to have been derived from the words ''stan'', meaning "

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

", and ''

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

'', meaning "river-crossing". It was undoubtedly first given to a place answering that description (there were ten parishes of the name in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

) and was taken therefrom by its first bearer because of his residence there at the time of the adoption of surnames in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. Sheffield historian

David Hey David G. Hey (18 July 1938 – 14 February 2016) was an English historian, and was an authority on surnames and the local history of Yorkshire. Hey was the president of the British Association for Local History, and was a published author of seve ...

writes about a potential location on the Blackburn Brook in

Ecclesfield Ecclesfield is a village and civil parish in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, about 4 miles (6 km) north of Sheffield City Centre. Ecclesfield civil parish had a population of 32,073 at the 2011 Census. Ecclesfield wards ...

that contained a farm known as Stonyford Farm. The 1434 Ecclesfield court rolls mention John of Stannyford passing on land in 'Stanyford' to his son Richard further backs up this claim. It is found in ancient records in the various spellings of Staniford, Staniforth, Stanforth, Stamforth, Standiford, Stanniford, Staynfor, Stanforde, Stannyforthe, Standford and Stanford, of which the form last mentioned is that most generally used in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

today. Among the early records of the family in England are those of Adam de Stanford, of Oxford County in 1273. Probably the first of the name in America were Richard and John Stanford of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in 1635. The Staniforth spelling in particular appears to be concentrated in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. Many of the same spelling emigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and America in the early-to-middle 19th century. People named Staniforth include: * Allan Staniforth, engineer and racecar engineer * Archer Christopher Staniforth, footballer * Charles Staniforth Hext, Military captain * David Staniforth (field hockey), hockey player * David Staniforth (footballer) (born 1950), English footballer * Edwin Wilfred Stanyforth, British Army Commander *

Gordon Staniforth Gordon Staniforth (born 23 March 1957) is an English association football, football Coach (sports), coach and former player. He played in the Football League for Hull City A.F.C., Hull City, York City F.C., York City (two separate spells), Carli ...

, footballer *

Joseph Morewood Staniforth Joseph Morewood Staniforth (better known as J.M. Staniforth) (1864 – 21 December 1921) was a Welsh editorial cartoonist best known for his work in the '' Western Mail'', ''Evening Express'' and Sunday weekly the '' News of the World''. Stanif ...

, editorial cartoonist * Michael Staniforth, actor * John Staniforth, politician *

John William Staniforth John William Staniforth (14 November 1863 – 3 January 1927) was a British writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary ...

, writer *

Scott Staniforth Scott Nicholas Gelling Staniforth (born 12 December 1977 in West Wyalong) is an Australian rugby union footballer. Career Returning to Australia after two years with London Irish, Scott Staniforth was the last player to sign with the Wester ...

, rugby player * Tom Staniforth, rugby player *

Thomas Staniforth Thomas Staniforth (1735–1803) was an English slave-trader, merchant and politician. He was originally from Sheffield, but spent most of his life in Liverpool. Staniforth was the son of Samuel Staniforth Esq. and Alethea Macro of Darnall Hall ...

, English priest * Fred Staniforth, footballer *

, Lord Mayor of Liverpool * Thomas Worsley Staniforth, Hymn composer *

Samuel Staniforth Samuel Staniforth (26 February 1769 – 5 April 1851) was an English slave-trader, merchant and politician originally from Liverpool. Staniforth was the son of Thomas Staniforth and Elizabeth Goore. The family was a prominent family from Darnall ...

, Lord Mayor of Liverpool (son of the above) *

R. T. Stanyforth Lieutenant Colonel (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-Colonel Ronald Thomas "Rony" Stanyforth, (30 May 1892 – 20 February 1964) was an British Army, Army officer and English Amateur status in first-class cricket, amateur first-class cricketer, who ...

, England Test Cricket captain * Reverend Oswald Staniforth, English author and Franciscan friar *

Ron Staniforth Ronald Staniforth (13 April 1924 – 5 October 1988) was an English footballer, described as a tall, cultured full-back. His attacking excursions down the right wing sometimes caused concern to his team's supporters but probably more to his oppon ...

, footballer *Thomas Staniforth, founder and namesake of

Thomas Staniforth & Co Thomas Staniforth & Co. was a sickle, scythe and tool smiths based in Hackenthorpe, Sheffield, England. The company was founded by Thomas Staniforth in 1743 and operated out of workshops located on Main Street, Hackenthorpe until it was closed dur ...

Scytheworks * Miles Staniforth Cater Smith, Australian politician *

Alex Staniforth Alex Staniforth (born 1995) is an English adventurer, speaker, author, and charity ambassador. He has made two attempts to climb Mount Everest and completed numerous endurance challenges. His debut book 'Icefall' was published in March 2016 and i ...

, Adventurer * Lucy Staniforth, footballer * Graydon Staniforth, Australian rugby player *

Maxwell Staniforth John Hamilton Maxwell Staniforth CBE (23 June 1893 – 26 December 1985), known to his family as Max, was a British soldier, railwayman, radio presenter, clergyman and scholar. Early life and education Staniforth born in Hinderwell, Yorkshire, o ...

, Soldier and Clergyman *

Nate Staniforth Nathan William Staniforth is an American magician. He is best known as one of the magicians in season 2 of the Discovery Channel show ''Breaking Magic''. Early life Staniforth was born in 1982 to Arthur and Jayne Staniforth. His Staniforth fa ...

, American magician and author *

Staniforth Ricketson Staniforth Ricketson (1 August 1891 – 6 December 1967) was an Australian stockbroker, financier, and political figure. Early life Ricketson was born in Malvern, Victoria, to Sophia Henrietta (née Sheppard) and Henry Joseph Ricketson. He was n ...

, Australian stockbroker *

William Staniforth William Staniforth (1749-1834) was an English surgeon, notable for being one of the first surgeons at the Sheffield Royal Infirmary. William was the son of Samuel Staniforth (1725-1811) and Mary Ash. His brother Samuel (1747-1824) was a linen dr ...

, 18th Century Surgeon *William Thomas Staniforth, founder of the Ascend Cutlery Works

Places

* Staniforth Road, Sheffield, England * Staniforth Range, Papua New Guinea

Other

* Hoole, Staniforth and Co

External links

The Staniforth Society
- genealogical organisation {{surname English-language surnames