2000
#8,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,468
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Acord
Derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "fickle" or "changeable," likely referring to a capricious individual.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,639 Americans carry the last name Acord. That puts it at #9,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,189 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Acord surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,189
Census rank
#9,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,173 bearers of the surname Acord in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Acord, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Acord
The surname ACORD is believed to have originated in the Occitan region of southern France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Occitan word "acort," which means "agreement" or "accord." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was a mediator or peacemaker.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the late 12th century, when a certain Guillaume Acord was mentioned in a document from the town of Toulouse in 1193. Around the same time, the name appeared in various records from the neighboring regions of Languedoc and Provence.
Some historians believe that the ACORD surname may also be connected to the French word "accorder," which means "to grant" or "to concede." This could indicate that the name was given to individuals who were involved in legal or administrative roles, perhaps as magistrates or local officials responsible for granting permissions or settling disputes.
In the 13th century, the name ACORD began to spread beyond the Occitan region, with records showing individuals bearing this surname in other parts of France, such as Normandy and the Île-de-France region around Paris. One notable example is Jean ACORD, a merchant from Rouen who is mentioned in a trade document dated 1276.
As the name continued to disperse throughout France, it also evolved into various spellings, including Accort, Acordt, and Accorde. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
Another prominent figure associated with the ACORD surname was Guillaume ACORD, a renowned architect from Lyon who lived in the early 15th century. He is credited with designing several notable buildings in the city, including the Church of Saint-Nizier and portions of the Palais de la Bourse.
In the 16th century, the name ACORD gained recognition in the literary world with the birth of Pierre ACORD, a French poet and playwright from Marseille. Born in 1532, Pierre ACORD is best known for his satirical works that lampooned the social and political elite of his time.
As the centuries progressed, the ACORD surname continued to be found throughout France, with pockets of families bearing this name in regions such as Brittany, Burgundy, and the Rhône-Alpes area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Acord
Among Census respondents with the surname Acord, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Acord bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Acord surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,893
- Two or more races3.9% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Acord
Acord appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,477
+9 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 632 places
2020
#9,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,173
-304 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 402 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,723 | 3,468 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,355 | 3,477 | 1.18 | +9 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 632 places |
| 2020 | #9,757 | 3,173 | 1.06 | -304 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 402 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Acord surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,355 | #9,757 | -4.3% |
| Count | 3,477 | 3,173 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.06 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Acord bearers went from 3,477 to 3,173 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 402 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,355 to #9,757.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Acord
FAQ
Acord surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Acord?
Name Census estimates that about 3,639 living Americans carry the surname Acord. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,189 residents.
How common is Acord?
Acord ranks #9,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,173 people with the surname Acord. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,639), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Acord.
Has Acord become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Acord went from 3,477 recorded bearers to 3,173. That is a decrease of 304 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,355 to #9,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Acord?
Among Census respondents with the surname Acord, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Acord in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,893 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Acord appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Acord (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Acord mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "fickle" or "changeable," likely referring to a capricious individual. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Acord (1.06 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Acord?
You can see how many people have the surname Acord on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.