Find out how popular the last name Alvord is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Alvord.

Alvord, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Alvord surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alvord in America

Alvord is the 14870th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alvord surname appeared 1,991 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Alvord.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alvord to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Alvord

The surname Alvord has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from an Old English place name, possibly a combination of "ald" meaning "old" and "worth" referring to an enclosed homestead or farm.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists an Alward de Alvord in Cambridgeshire. This suggests the Alvord family may have originated from a place called Alvord, though the exact location remains uncertain.

Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 for Warwickshire, where a Thomas de Alvord is mentioned. This document provides evidence of the name's usage and variation in spelling during the Middle Ages.

In the 16th century, the Alvord name appears in various parish records across England, including in Essex, Suffolk, and Berkshire. One notable individual from this period is Thomas Alvord, born in 1583 in Essex, who later emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636.

The Alvord family continued to grow in the New World, with several members achieving prominence. Benjamin Alvord (1670-1749), a descendant of Thomas, was a respected landowner and military officer in Connecticut. Another notable figure was James Church Alvord (1808-1889), a lawyer and historian from Massachusetts.

In later centuries, the Alvord name can be found across various parts of the United States and Canada. Significant individuals include John Watson Alvord (1807-1897), a lawyer and abolitionist from New York, and Henry Elijah Alvord (1844-1904), a Civil War officer and later Chief Signal Officer of the U.S. Army.

While the exact origins of the Alvord surname remain somewhat uncertain, it is clear that it has a long and rich history, with roots stretching back to medieval England and a presence in various parts of North America since the colonial era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alvord

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Alvord.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Alvord was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Alvord has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Alvord was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alvord, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!