A locational name which derives from the village of Bramfordin suffolk or Bamford in Derby or Lancashire. The name is Olde English pre 8th Century (Beam - Forda), and means 'The Ford bridged by Beams'. The Bramfords are recorded as having a Coat of Arms granted for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, being Silver with a Red Jesse i.e The Swordbelt of honour. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adam de Braumford. which was dated 1379, The Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire. during the reign of King Richard II, Richard of Caernafon 1378 - 1400. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.