Stanford Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Stanford last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Stanford coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Stanford last name
Meaning of the Stanford last name: stony ford. Stanford is an English surname from the many English villages named Stanford, Old English for "stony ford", a crossing with a firm stone bed. This last name travelled early to the American colonies. Curiously, Stanford University was named by Leland and Jane Stanford after their only son, who died at fifteen.
Arms associated with the Stanford name
Coats of arms associated with the Stanford surname follow English heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Stanford family history
This is only a glimpse of the Stanford story. The full Stanford history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Stanford coat of arms. Get the full Stanford report.
Stanford name FAQ
What does the Stanford name mean?
Stony ford. Common variants include Stamford, Standford.
Where does the Stanford surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Stanford coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Stanford coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).