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

Beckford, 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 Beckford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beckford in America

Beckford is the 7748th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beckford surname appeared 4,285 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 Beckford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beckford 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 Beckford

The surname Beckford is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "bec" meaning a stream or brook, and "ford" referring to a shallow crossing or ford across a river. This indicates that the name likely originated from a place name describing a settlement near a stream or river crossing.

The earliest recorded instances of the Beckford surname can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of England, including Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. The name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the Beckford surname was William de Beckford, who was born in the late 12th century and served as a knight and landowner in Gloucestershire. Another notable figure was Alderman John Beckford, a wealthy merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1770.

In the 18th century, William Beckford (1760-1844) rose to prominence as a wealthy English novelist, art collector, and eccentric. He is best known for his gothic novel "Vathek," which was published in 1786 and was a significant influence on the development of the gothic fiction genre.

Another prominent individual with the Beckford surname was Peter Beckford (1643-1710), who was a renowned English author, agriculturalist, and politician. He wrote several influential works on hunting and agriculture, including "Thoughts on Hunting" and "Thoughts upon Hare and Fox Hunting."

In the 19th century, Susan Elizabeth Beckford (1824-1899) was a notable English author and playwright. She wrote several novels and plays, including "The Cloisters of St. Mary's" and "The Prince's Dressing Case."

The Beckford name has also been associated with various places throughout England, including Beckford in Gloucestershire, Beckford in Worcestershire, and Beckford in Somerset. These place names likely originated from the same Old English roots as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and geographic locations near streams or river crossings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beckford

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

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

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

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