Ford (surname)
The surname Ford has several origins. In some cases it originated as a name for someone who lived in near a ford,[1] and is therefore derived from the Old English and Middle English ford.[2] In some cases, the surname is derived from places named Ford. Examples of such places include Ford in Northumberland[3] (from Old English ford),[4] a place in Somerset,[5] Ford in Shropshire[3] (from Old English ford),[4] Ford in West Sussex[3] (from Old English ford),[4] and Forde in Dorset.[3]
In other cases, the surname is sometimes an anglicised form of three Irish surnames. Two such surnames are Mac Giolla na Naomh, a name meaning "son of Gilla na Naomh"; and Mac Conshámha, a name meaning "son of Conshnámha".[6] These surnames were anglicised Ford because their final syllable was once erroneously thought to be the Irish áth ("ford").[3] Another Irish surname anglicised Ford is Ó Fuartháin, a name meaning "descendant of Fuarthán".[7] The personal name Fuartháin, derived from the Irish fuar ("cold"), was once taken to represent the Irish fuarathán ("cold little ford"), which led the name to be erroneously translated "ford".[8] The former two Irish surnames were borne by septs centred in the province of Connacht, whilst the latter was borne by a sept centred in County Cork (in the province of Munster).[9]
In some cases the surname Ford is an americanized form of like-sounding Jewish surnames, or else a translated form of the German Fürth.[3] Early instances of the surname Ford include de la forda in the eleventh century, æt Fordan in the twelfth-century, de la Forthe in the thirteenth-century, and Foorde[10] and de Furd in the fifteenth century.[11] The surname Ford, when found in Ireland, may be of English or Irish origin since many Ford families have immigrated to Ireland at various times in history. For example, a particular noted family of the name in County Meath emigrated from Devon in the fourteenth century.[12] In Ireland, birth records for the year 1890 reveal that the surname Ford was much less common than the variant Forde (154 births compared to only 39).[13]
A
- Aiden Ford, a fictional character from the television show Stargate Atlantis
- Alan Ford (actor) (born 1937), English actor
- Alan Ford (swimmer) (1923–2008), 1940s American swimmer
- Alan Ford (comics), an Italian comics character
- Aleksander Ford (1908–1980), Polish film director
- Alphonso Ford (1971–2004), American basketball player
- Andrew Ford (composer) (born 1957), English-Australian composer, writer and radio presenter
- Andrew Ford (courtier) (born 1957), British Army officer, Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain's Office
- Andrew Ford (cricketer) (born 1963), Bahamian cricketer
- Andy Ford (born 1954), English association football player and manager
- Anna Ford (born 1943), journalist and newsreader
- Arthur Ford (disambiguation)
B
- Ben Ford (politician) (born 1925), British politician
- Ben Ford (baseball) (born 1975), American baseball player
- Betty Ford (1918–2011), wife of former United States president Gerald Ford, and founder of the Betty Ford Center
- Boris Ford (1917–1998), Indian-born British literary critic, writer, editor and educationist
- Brian J. Ford (born 1939), English independent scientist
- Bruce Ford (disambiguation), several people, including:
- Bruce Ford (rower) (born 1954), Canadian rower
- Bruce Ford (tenor) (born 1956), American operatic tenor
- Byington Ford (1890–1985), Pebble Beach and Carmel Valley developer, aviator, son of Tirey L. Ford
C
- Cheryl Ford (born 1981), American basketball player
- Christine Blasey Ford (born 1966), American clinical psychology professor
- Clare Ford (1828–1899), English diplomat
- Clay Ford (1938–2013), American politician
- Clint Ford (born 1976), American actor and voice-over artist
- Clinton Ford (singer) (1931–2009), British singer
- Clinton B. Ford (1913–1992), American investor, musician and astronomer
- Cody Ford (born 1997), American football player
- Colin Ford (born 1996), American actor and voice actor
- Colin Ford (curator) (born 1934), British history of photography and museum director
- Colt Ford (born 1969), American Hick-Hop Artist
- Constance Ford (1923–1993), American actress and model
- Curt Ford (born 1960), American baseball player
D
- David Robert Ford (born 1935), British soldier and diplomat, former Chief Secretary of Hong Kong
- David Ford (actor) (1925–1983), American actor
- David Ford (footballer) (born 1945), English footballer
- David Ford (kayaker) (born 1967), Canadian whitewater slalom kayaker
- David Ford (musician) (born 1978), British singer-songwriter
- David F. Ford (born 1948), Anglican theologian
- Dean Ford (1946–2018), stage name of Thomas McAleese, Scottish singer and songwriter, member of the band Marmalade
- Debbie Ford (1955–2013), American self-help writer
- Desmond Ford (born 1929), Christian speaker and author
- Don Ford (born 1952), American basketball player
- Donald Ford (born 1944), Scottish footballer
- Donald E. Ford (1921–1965), American science fiction editor
- Doug Ford (born 1964), current Premier of Ontario
- Doug Ford Sr. (1933–2006), Canadian politician
E
- E. B. Ford (1901–1988), British ecological geneticist
- Edgar Ford (1876–1943), English cricketer
- Edsel Ford (1893–1943), American businessman, president of Ford Motor Company, son of Henry Ford
- Eileen Ford (1922–2014), American model agency executive and co-founder of Ford Models
- Elena Ford (born 1966), director within the Ford Motor Company, great-great granddaughter of Henry Ford
- Emile Ford (1937–2016), West Indian-born musician and sound engineer
F
- Ford Madox Ford (1873–1939), English novelist and publisher
- Francis Ford (cricketer) (1866–1940), English cricketer
- Francis Ford Coppola (born 1939), American film director, producer, and screenwriter
- Frankie Ford (1939–2015), American singer
- Franklin Lewis Ford (1920–2003), American historian
- Fred Ford (American football) (born 1938), American football halfback
- Frederick W. Ford (1909–1986), American Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
G
- Gene Ford (pitcher, born 1912) (died 1970), American baseball player
- Gene Ford (1881–1973), American baseball player
- George Henry Ford (1808–1876), natural history illustrator
- G. M. Ford (born 1945), American author
- Gerald J. Ford (born 1944), American banker
- Gerald Ford (1913–2006), 38th president of the United States
- Gerard W. Ford (1924–2008), American businessman who co-founded Ford Modeling Agency
- Gina Ford (born c. 1960), British writer on parenting methods
- Glenn Ford (1916–2006), actor
- Glyn Ford (born 1950), British politician
- Gordon Onslow Ford (1912–2003), British artist
- G. Sarsfield Ford (1933–2013), American jurist
H
- Harold Ford Sr. (born 1945), American politician
- Harold Ford Jr. (born 1970), American politician
- Harriet Ford (1863–1949), American actress and playwright
- Harrison Ford (silent film actor) (1884–1957), American actor
- Harrison Ford (born 1942), award-winning American actor
- Henry Ford (1863–1947), American industrialist, founder of the Ford Motor Company
- For others, see Henry Ford (disambiguation)
- Hugh Alastair Ford (born 1946), Australian ornithologist
I
- Isaiah Ford (born 1996), American football player
J
- Jack Ford (journalist), American TV reporter and host
- Jack Ford (politician) (1947–2015), American educator and politician
- "Jack" John Gardner Ford (born 1952), American businessman and politician, son of Gerald Ford
- James Ford (pirate) (1775–1833), Kentucky criminal gang leader
- James W. Ford (1893–1957), African American politician and Communist Party USA vice presidential candidate
- Jeremiah D. M. Ford (1873–1958), American college professor at Harvard
- John Ford (1894–1973), American film director
- For other people, see John Ford (disambiguation)
- Julian Ralph Ford (1932–1987), Australian ornithologist
K
- Kate Ford (born 1977), English actress
- Keith Ford (born 1994), American football player
L
- Larry Ford (American football) (born 1988), American football player
- Lester R. Ford (1886–1967), American mathematician
- L. R. Ford Jr. (born 1927), American mathematician
- Lita Ford (born 1958), British-born singer
- Lew Ford (born 1976), American professional baseball player
- Louis Ford (footballer) (born 1914), Welsh footballer
- Louise Ford, British comedian and actress
M
- Malcolm Webster Ford (1862–1902), American athlete and journalist
- Mark Ford (footballer) (born 1975), English footballer
- Melbourne H. Ford (1849–1891), U.S. Representative from Michigan
- Melyssa Ford (born 1976), Canadian model and actress
- Mike Ford (musician), Canadian musician
- Michael Ford (disambiguation), several people
- Mick Ford (born 1957), British actor and playwright
- Monica Ford, American socialite
P
- Patricia Ford (disambiguation)
- Patrick Ford (disambiguation)
- Paul Ford (1901–1976), American actor
- Paul Leicester Ford (1865–1902), American novelist, biographer, and editor of Thomas Jefferson's writings
- Penny Ford (born 1964), American singer
- Poona Ford (born 1995), American football player
R
- Richard Ford (disambiguation), several people, including:
- Richard Ford (born 1944), American writer
- Richard Ford (English writer) (1796–1858)
- Rob Ford (1969–2016), Canadian politician
- Robben Ford (born 1951), American guitarist
- Robert Ford (outlaw) (1860–1892), American outlaw who shot Jesse James
- Robert Ford (Canadian diplomat) (1915–1998), Canadian poet, translator and diplomat
- Robert Stephen Ford (born 1958), American diplomat
- Robert Ford (politician) (born 1948), member of the South Carolina Senate
- Robert W. Ford (1923–2013), author and radio operator in Tibet in between 1945 and 1950
- Rudy Ford (born 1994), American football player
- Russ Ford (1883–1960), American baseball player
- Russell Ford (born 1983), Australian hockey player
- Ryan Ford (disambiguation), several people
S
- Sallie Rochester Ford (1828–1910), American writer, newspaper editor
- Seabury Ford (1801–1855), American politician
- Seth Porter Ford (1817–1866), American physician in the Kingdom of Hawaii.
- Simon Ford (born 1981), English footballer
- Steven Ford (born 1956), American actor, son of Gerald Ford
- Susan Ford (born 1957), American author, photojournalist, daughter of Gerald Ford
T
- T. J. Ford (born 1983), NBA basketball player
- Tennessee Ernie Ford (1919–1991), American recording artist and television host
- Sir Theodore Ford (1829–1920), Chief Justice of the Straits Settlements
- Thomas Mikal Ford (1962–2016), American actor
- Tim Ford (1951–2015), Mississippi politician
- Tirey L. Ford (1857–1928), California politician and a novelist
- T-Model Ford (c. 1923–2013), American musician
- Tom Ford (born 1961), American fashion designer
- Tony Ford (footballer, born 1959), English footballer
- Trent Ford (born 1979), British American actor and model
- Trevor Ford (1923–2003), Welsh footballer
- Trevor D. Ford, British geologist
V
- Vicky Ford (born 1967), British politician
W
- Wallace Ford (1898–1966), American actor
- Walter Burton Ford (1874–1971), American mathematician
- Walton Ford (born 1960), American watercolor painter
- Wayne Adam Ford (born 1961), American serial killer
- Wendell H. Ford (1924–2015), American politician
- Whitey Ford (born 1928), American baseball player
- Will Ford (born 1986), American football player
- Willa Ford (born 1981), American singer-songwriter
- William Clay Ford Jr. (born 1957), American businessman, chairman of Ford Motor Company, great-grandson of Henry Ford
- William Prince Ford (1803–1866), 19th-century Louisiana preacher and farmer, first slavemaster of Solomon Northup
- Worthington C. Ford (1858–1941), American historian, librarian at the Library of Congress and Brown University
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Ford Family History; Reaney 2006 p. 1200; Reaney 1995 p. 174; Black 1971 pp. 271–272.
- ^ Ford Family History; Reaney 2006 p. 1200; Reaney 1995 p. 174.
- ^ a b c d e f Ford Family History.
- ^ a b c Mills 2003.
- ^ Reaney 2006 p. 1200; Reaney 1995 p. 174.
- ^ Ford Family History; Grehan 1997 p. 125; The Great Families of Ireland p. 145; MacLysaght 1972 pp. 150–151.
- ^ Ford Family History; Foran Family History; Grehan 1997 p. 124; The Great Families of Ireland p. 145; MacLysaght 1972 pp. 150–151.
- ^ Ford Family History; Foran Family History.
- ^ Grehan 1997 pp. 124–125; O'Laughlin 1992 p. 114; The Great Families of Ireland p. 145; MacLysaght 1972 pp. 150–151.
- ^ Reaney 2006 p. 1200; Reaney 1995 p. 174.
- ^ Black 1971 pp. 271–272.
- ^ Grehan 1997 p. 125; O'Laughlin 1992 p. 114; The Great Families of Ireland p. 145; MacLysaght 1972 pp. 150–151.
- ^ The Great Families of Ireland p. 145.
Sources
- "Foran Family History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 16 June 2014. This webpage contains an excerpt of Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press.
- "Ford Family History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 16 June 2014. This webpage contains an excerpt of Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press.
- Black, GF (1971) [1946]. The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History. New York: New York Public Library. ISBN 0-87104-172-3. Accessed via Open Library.
- Grehan, I (1997). The Dictionary of Irish Family Names. Boulder: Robert Rineheart Publishers. ISBN 1-57098-137-X. Accessed via Open Library.
- MacLysaght, E (1972). Irish Families: Their Names, Arms and Origins (3rd ed.). New York: Crown Publishers. OL 23251759M. Accessed via Open Library.
- Mills, AD (2003). A Dictionary of British Place-names (EPUB). Oxford Paperback Reference. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-852758-6.
- O'Laughlin, M (1992). The Book of Irish Families Great & Small. Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation. ISBN 0-940134-08-X. Accessed via Open Library.
- Reaney, PH (2006). Wilson, RM (ed.). A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.). London: Routledge. ISBN 0-203-99355-1.
- Reaney, PH (1995). Wilson, RM (ed.). A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-8631464.
- The Great Families of Ireland. Irish Genealogical Foundation. 1981. ISBN 0-940134-11-X. Accessed via Open Library.