An English surname, Stafford, comes from the Old English term of ‘stae’ and ‘ford’ which mean a landing location, place or ford. Variations in spelling for Stafford include Strafford and Staford. In England the Stafford families started in Staffordshire. From there they spread to Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Durham, Northumberland, Warwickshire and the city of London. In Scotland the counties of West Lothian, Midlothian, Lanarkshire, and Ayrshire have the great Stafford populations. Within the United States the Stafford families primarily originated in New York, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Kansas, California, Iowa, Virginia, Michigan and Indiana. Famous: Frederick Stafford (actor from Australia), Jean Stafford (writer), Mary Stafford (singer), William Stafford (poet), Abi Stafford (major ballet dancer), Drew Stafford (professional ice hockey player), Jo Stafford (singer) and Matthew Stafford (professional football player).