2000
#8,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,371
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Beckford
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places in England named Beckford, meaning "ford by a stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,442 Americans carry the last name Beckford. That puts it at #6,820 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,983 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beckford 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 Beckford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 62,983
Census rank
#6,820
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,746 bearers of the surname Beckford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6820th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Hispanic (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beckford
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Hispanic (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Beckford 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 Beckford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.8% · 3,691
- White9.7% · 462
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 340
- Two or more races4.6% · 219
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beckford
Beckford 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
#7,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,285
+914 bearers (+27.1%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Up 1,177 places
2020
#6,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,746
+461 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Up 928 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,925 | 3,371 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,748 | 4,285 | 1.45 | +914 bearers (+27.1%) | Up 1,177 places |
| 2020 | #6,820 | 4,746 | 1.59 | +461 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 928 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 Beckford 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 | #7,748 | #6,820 | 12.0% |
| Count | 4,285 | 4,746 | 10.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.59 | 9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beckford bearers went from 4,285 to 4,746 (+10.8% change). The surname moved up 928 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,748 to #6,820.
FAQ
Beckford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beckford?
Name Census estimates that about 5,442 living Americans carry the surname Beckford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,983 residents.
How common is Beckford?
Beckford ranks #6,820 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,746 people with the surname Beckford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,442), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Beckford.
Has Beckford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beckford went from 4,285 recorded bearers to 4,746. That is an increase of 461 (+10.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,748 to #6,820.
What does the Census say about the background of Beckford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Hispanic (7.2%). 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 Beckford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (3,691 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beckford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (77.8%), White (9.7%), Hispanic (7.2%). 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 Beckford (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 Beckford mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places in England named Beckford, meaning "ford by a stream." 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 Beckford (1.59 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 share the surname Beckford?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.