Guild of One-Name Studies
One-name studies, Genealogy
This study is no longer registered with the Guild, but this profile page has been retained at the member's request. Please note that neither officers nor members of the Guild are able to answer any questions about this study.
Even with a choice of vowels, single or double "n"s and "f"s, an internal "s" or an optional final "e", Dennaford is a rare name even in Devon where most instances occur. So the challenge of this study is to attempt to link them up all. Key factors in determining relationships between individuals (where no record exists) have been location, reasonable ages between generations, to some extent naming patterns and, most of all, the 1569 muster and the 1641 Protestation Return.
The Devon Protestation return of 1641 is particularly complete, including mention of those away from their parishes and the few refusing to sign. The result provides one of the most useful lists of inhabitants prior to the 19th century census returns. It is this document most of all which has made it possible to determine the early links in this family as those found before and after this date must have their family line through one of the three Dennafords and 2 Denafords who along with one Denneford and two Denifords are signatory to the return. There remains the possibility of a gap where a man's early death combines with his son's youth; or where an especially perverse misspelling has led to an individual being overlooked.
The registered study variants of the Dennaford name are Denneford, Denniford, Dinnaford, Dinneford, and Donniford, although alternate spellings have also been used and are incorporated into the study if appropriate.
Occasionally individuals with the surname Dennaford (or close variant) have been alternatively recorded with the spelling Denford, Densford, Dunsford or Dunford and so these instances are included in the study. Other occurrences of these names, although noted, have been excluded. Dunsford and Dunford are the subject of one name studies by other Guild members.
The Dennaford name is very uncommon being 0.0005% of the UK population in 2002, based on an Office of National Statistics database which shows that of almost 270,000 surnames in use by 54.4 million people in England, Wales and the Isle of Mann in September 2002, Dennaford was the 74,851th most common - with just 27 instances
Although this study found Denniford or Dinneford to be common variants, these are not listed in the ONS database so each must have had fewer than 5 instances. As a comparison, the database gives a count of 12 for Durnsford, 27 for Danaford, 148 for Danford, 337 for Denford, 641 for Dunsford and 3,585 for Dunford.
In the England and Wales census there are:
The Canadian census for 1881 has 3 records for Dennaford, all belonging to a single family born in Devon, but only one in the 1901 Canadian census.
Individuals linked to the Dennafords of Devon have been identified in London and Hampshire in the UK and also in Australia, Canada, and the USA, along with individuals of this name and its variants in the UK, Australia and the USA who are not yet assigned to a family line. I would be pleased to hear from anyone interested in a variant of this name.
All Denafords and Dennafords in the 1841 to 1871 censuses are in Devon. All 44 individuals in the 1881 census named Dennaford, Denniford, Dinnaford or Dinneford are born in Devon, or have their father or husband born there, except one who lives in Derbyshire and was born in Ireland. The variant Donniford is not found
Data concerning the Dennaford name (and variants) has been collected from a variety of sources including: