2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Areford
An English surname derived from a place name referring to a ford near some buildings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Areford. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Areford 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Areford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Areford, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Areford
The surname Areford is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "ar," meaning a meadow or pasture, and "ford," referring to a shallow river crossing. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with a location or settlement situated near a meadow with a ford or crossing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Areforde." This entry indicates that individuals bearing this surname were present in England during the 11th century, likely residing in areas near meadows with fords or river crossings.
Throughout the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Arford, Areford, Arefort, and Arreford. These variations reflect the fluid nature of surname spellings in earlier times, often influenced by local dialects and scribes' interpretations.
Notable individuals bearing the Areford surname include:
1. William Areford (c. 1520 - 1585), an English landowner and merchant from Gloucestershire.
2. John Areford (c. 1650 - 1712), a prominent farmer and local magistrate in Oxfordshire.
3. Elizabeth Areford (1725 - 1798), a renowned lace maker from Buckinghamshire, whose intricate designs were highly sought after by aristocratic patrons.
4. Thomas Areford (1789 - 1867), a British naval officer who participated in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a customs official in Liverpool.
5. Margaret Areford (1842 - 1912), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's education in Yorkshire, who established one of the first girls' schools in the region.
While the name Areford may have originated from place names referring to meadows and fords, it has since become a distinctive surname carried by individuals across various regions of England and beyond, each leaving their own mark on history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Areford
Among Census respondents with the surname Areford, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Areford 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 Areford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 7
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Areford
Areford 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,106 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,985 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 12,106 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,985 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 Areford 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 | #145,220 | #150,205 | -3.4% |
| Count | 114 | 109 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Areford bearers went from 114 to 109 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,985 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #150,205.
FAQ
Areford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Areford?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Areford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Areford?
Areford ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Areford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Areford.
Has Areford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Areford went from 114 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Areford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Areford, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Areford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Areford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Hispanic (6.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Areford (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 Areford mean?
An English surname derived from a place name referring to a ford near some buildings. 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 Areford (0.04 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 Areford?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Areford on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.