Bamford last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Bamford

From an English place name meaning "ford by a tree" or "crossing by a tree."

Bamford, 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 Bamford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bamford in America

Bamford is the 15246th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bamford surname appeared 1,929 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 Bamford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bamford 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 15246 14335 6.16%
Count 1,929 1,916 0.68%
Proportion per 100k 0.65 0.71 -8.82%

The history of the last name Bamford

The surname Bamford is of English origin, derived from the place name Bamford, which is found in various locations across England, including Derbyshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire. The name is believed to have originated in the 11th or 12th century, and it is thought to be derived from the Old English words "bean" meaning bean or broad bean, and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bamford can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bamforde" in reference to a settlement in Derbyshire. This suggests that the name was already established in the region during the Norman conquest of England.

In the 13th century, the surname Bamford appeared in various records, including the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1214, where a William de Bamford was mentioned. The "de" prefix indicates that the name was originally a locational surname, referring to someone from the place called Bamford.

One notable individual with the surname Bamford was Samuel Bamford (1788-1872), an English radical and writer who was involved in the Peterloo Massacre of 1819. He wrote several works, including "Passages in the Life of a Radical" and "Homely Rhymes," which provide insights into the lives of the working class during the Industrial Revolution.

Another figure of historical significance was Joseph Bamford (1788-1869), an English industrialist and philanthropist who established the Bamford Spinning Mills in Middleton, Lancashire. He played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in the region.

In the realm of sports, James Bamford (1883-1923) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, including Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End, and Burnley, during the early 20th century.

Moving to the academic sphere, Francis Bamford (1853-1929) was a British mathematician and educator who served as the Headmaster of Marlborough College from 1892 to 1911. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and was a respected figure in the world of education.

The name Bamford has also been associated with various place names, such as Bamford in Derbyshire, Bamford in Greater Manchester, and Bamford in Rochdale, Lancashire. These place names likely originated from the Old English words that formed the surname, reflecting the connection between the name and the geographical locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bamford

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

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 Bamford was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.35% 1,820
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.19% 23
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.76% 34
Hispanic Origin 1.56% 30

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 Bamford has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.35% 96.09% -1.83%
Black (S)% 0.26% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.19% 0.57% 70.45%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.63% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.76% 1.04% 51.43%
Hispanic 1.56% 1.41% 10.10%

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 Bamford was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Bamford last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 16, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/bamford-surname-popularity/.

"Bamford last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/bamford-surname-popularity/. Accessed 16 July, 2025

Bamford last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/bamford-surname-popularity/.

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