2000
#3,702
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,801
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.26
Uncommon Last name
Ashford
A locational surname referring to someone from Ashford, England, meaning "ford near the ash trees."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,528 Americans carry the last name Ashford. That puts it at #3,768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,556 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ashford 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ashford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,556
Census rank
#3,768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,181 bearers of the surname Ashford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (39.0%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ashford
The surname Ashford originated in England and dates back to the Anglo-Saxon era. It is a locational surname, derived from the Old English words "æsc" meaning ash tree and "ford" referring to a shallow river crossing. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place where ash trees grew near a ford or river crossing.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Ashford can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Esseford" and "Asseford". This medieval record documented landholdings and property owners throughout England following the Norman Conquest.
In the 12th century, the name Ashford was found in various counties across England, including Kent, Middlesex, and Derbyshire. The spelling variations included Asheford, Assheford, and Asshford, reflecting the phonetic changes in the English language over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Ashford throughout history include:
1. Sir Edmund Ashford (c. 1510-1585), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1587.
2. Thomas Ashford (1570-1634), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Rector of St. Benet's Church in Cambridge.
3. Mary Ashford (1793-1817), an English woman whose murder in 1817 became a notorious case in Lincolnshire, leading to the execution of Abraham Thornton for her killing.
4. William Ashford (1792-1858), an English painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraits.
5. Daisy Ashford (1881-1972), an English writer and novelist best known for her novella "The Young Visiters" written at the age of nine.
The name Ashford has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Ashford in Kent, Ashford in Middlesex, and Ashford in Derbyshire, further reflecting the locational origins of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ashford
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (39.0%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ashford 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 Ashford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.0% · 4,590
- White39.0% · 3,584
- Two or more races5.7% · 520
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 386
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ashford
Ashford 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
#3,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,421
+620 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 3.19
Rank movement Down 58 places
2020
#3,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,181
-240 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 3.07
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,702 | 8,801 | 3.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,760 | 9,421 | 3.19 | +620 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 58 places |
| 2020 | #3,768 | 9,181 | 3.07 | -240 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 8 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 Ashford 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 | #3,760 | #3,768 | -0.2% |
| Count | 9,421 | 9,181 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.19 | 3.07 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ashford bearers went from 9,421 to 9,181 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,760 to #3,768.
FAQ
Ashford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ashford?
Name Census estimates that about 10,528 living Americans carry the surname Ashford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,556 residents.
How common is Ashford?
Ashford ranks #3,768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,181 people with the surname Ashford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,528), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Ashford.
Has Ashford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ashford went from 9,421 recorded bearers to 9,181. That is a decrease of 240 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,760 to #3,768.
What does the Census say about the background of Ashford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (39.0%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ashford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (4,590 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ashford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.0%), White (39.0%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Ashford (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 Ashford mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Ashford, England, meaning "ford near the ash trees." 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 Ashford (3.07 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 Ashford?
You can see how many people are called Ashford on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.