The UFFORD Surname DNA Project

The origin of the surname UFFORD is unclear, but it's likely that it began as a place name.  In the 5th century, Anglo Saxon raiders established a kingdom on England's Suffolk coast and called it Wuffingas after the ruling family of the same name.  The place was later renamed Juffeforda (a ford with a hard gravel bed over the River Deben), and that name, over time, evolved to Offewarda, Uffewarda, Ufforda, Usford, and, finally, to Ufford.  By the 13th century, the baronies of Ufford were part of the earldom of Suffolk.  One of the first to use UFFORD as a surname was Robert, the second son of Sir John de Peyton of Peyton Hall in Boxford who, upon assuming the lordship in Ufford, became Robert de Ufford.

The UFFORD Surname DNA Project has been created in order to discover Ufford ancestry and to link together the various Ufford lines around the world.  Using the results of Y-DNA testing, we will compare those in established Ufford lines with newly-tested individuals to see if they share a common ancestor.

What is the value of a DNA Surname test?

• Surname tests allow genealogists to verify their paternal (father's father's....father's) ancestry.
• Y-DNA surname tests, when compared with the test results of others, may reveal previously unknown relatives who share a common ancestor.
• Surname DNA information may be very powerful when combined with traditional paper research.

• Help researchers from common or related families to work together to find their shared heritage.
• Identify how the participant's families are connected, both genetically and through paper trails.
• Identify and confirm genetic lineages of ancestral families.
• Ultimately, catalog pedigrees and genetic connections of all the known Project families.

• The participant's genetic DNA, which is very close (and sometimes identical) to his earliest known ancestor.
• The participant's "deep" ancestry (Haplogroup), which identifies the paternal ancestor's prehistoric origins.
• A sense of camaraderie, which is particularly strong for those who share a genetic ancestry.
• A wider sense of identity and relationship, as we begin to realize how much we are a World Family.
• A chance to compare your genetic ancestry with those of your Surname and those with spelling variants.
• Genetic matches with those who do not share your common surname.
• Knowledge that enables you to understand your ancestors better - particularly where the records have been lost.