Stafford

S1T1A1F4F4O1R1D2
/ˈstæfə(ɹ)d/

proper noun

A town in and the county town of Staffordshire, England.

CommonScrabble 15

Meanings

proper noun

alternative archaic de Stafford · alternative Strafford

  1. A placename:
    1. The Borough of Stafford, a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire formed in 1974, with its headquarters in the county town.
    2. A minor city in Stafford County, Kansas, named after Lewis Stafford, a Civil War casualty.
    3. A census-designated place, the county seat of Stafford County, Virginia; also known as Stafford Courthouse.
  2. An English habitational surname from the place name.

    In September 2023, Amelia Stafford was 15 and beginning her sophomore year at Terra Linda High School in eastern Marin County, Calif.

    2025 November 30, David Darlington, “The Shocking Crash That Led Marin County to Reckon With the Dangers of E-Bikes”, in The New York Times Magazine, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Nov 2025
  3. rareA male given name transferred from the surname.
nounStafford (plural Staffords)

plural Staffords · alternative archaic de Stafford · alternative Strafford

  1. A Staffordshire bull terrier.

    Staffords are an amazing breed to own and to be invited to compete at crufts is an honour.

    2019 March 12, Eleanor Ovens, “Crufts 2019: South Cumbria's winners and contenders”, in The Mail
    2 more examples

    Staffords are a loyal and lovable breed that are great with children. Digger had a great time on the walk playing with the other dogs and enjoying the lovely weather.

    2016 October 6, Clare Damodaran, “Staffords are a loyal and lovable breed that are great with children. Digger had a great time on the walk playing with the other dogs and enjoying the lovely weather.”, in Daily Record

    Like all terriers, Staffords are diggers, so it is important to reinforce fences by embedding them in concrete or burying chicken wire at the bottom to prevent escapes.

    2018 August 7, “Staffordshire Bull Terrier”, in DogTime

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

  1. Old Englishstæþ“landing place”
  2. EnglishStafford

From Old English stæþ (“landing place”) + ford. As a surname, occasionally derived from Irish (see Stocker).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Stafford. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Stafford

MLA

“Stafford.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Stafford. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Stafford,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Stafford.

Source: Stafford on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.