Sanford surname meaning

Sanford is an English habitational surname, treated in surname dictionaries as a Devon-favored variant of Sandford. Sandford and related place-names come from Old English sand, “sand,” plus ford, “river crossing,” for a settlement at a sandy ford. England has many such places—among them Sandfords in Oxfordshire, Devon, Berkshire, and elsewhere—and Sampford spellings share the same elements. Sandiford is a close cousin. The surname points to origin at one of those fords. Place is high confidence for the sandy-ford habitational reading.