2000
#14,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,930
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Alvord
Derived from the Old English personal name Ælfweard, composed of the elements "ælf" meaning elf and "weard" meaning guardian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,144 Americans carry the last name Alvord. That puts it at #15,135 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,867 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alvord 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
2.1K
1 in 159,867
Census rank
#15,135
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,870 bearers of the surname Alvord in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15135th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alvord, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alvord
Among Census respondents with the surname Alvord, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Alvord 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 Alvord surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 1,675
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 83
- Two or more races3.9% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 16
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alvord
Alvord 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
#14,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,991
+61 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 615 places
2020
#15,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,870
-121 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 265 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,255 | 1,930 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,870 | 1,991 | 0.67 | +61 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 615 places |
| 2020 | #15,135 | 1,870 | 0.63 | -121 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 265 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 Alvord 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 | #14,870 | #15,135 | -1.8% |
| Count | 1,991 | 1,870 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.63 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alvord bearers went from 1,991 to 1,870 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 265 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,870 to #15,135.
FAQ
Alvord surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alvord?
Name Census estimates that about 2,144 living Americans carry the surname Alvord. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,867 residents.
How common is Alvord?
Alvord ranks #15,135 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,870 people with the surname Alvord. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,144), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Alvord.
Has Alvord become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alvord went from 1,991 recorded bearers to 1,870. That is a decrease of 121 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,870 to #15,135.
What does the Census say about the background of Alvord?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alvord, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Alvord in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (1,675 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alvord appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Alvord (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 Alvord mean?
Derived from the Old English personal name Ælfweard, composed of the elements "ælf" meaning elf and "weard" meaning guardian. 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 Alvord (0.63 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 surname Alvord?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.