Gifford

Gifford is a surname and a place name. The surname Gifford is of Scottish origin, derived from the village of Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland, and it subsequently spread to wider English-speaking regions through migration. Variants include Giffard and Giford.

Geographically, the most prominent Gifford is the village of Gifford in East Lothian, situated in the southeastern Lowlands of Scotland. The name has been used for several other locales in the United States, typically named after settlers or individuals bearing the surname.

In culture and institutions, Gifford is associated with the Gifford Lectures, a long-running series on natural theology established by the will of the Scottish judge Adam Gifford. Since their inception, the lectures have been hosted at universities in Scotland and beyond and have influenced scholarly discussion in philosophy, religion, and science.

Notable individuals bearing Gifford as a surname have contributed to politics, science, literature, and the arts, reflecting the name’s longstanding presence in Anglophone societies.