2000
#3,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,651
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.21
Rare Last name
Bedford
A locational surname derived from various places in England, likely referring to a fort or castle near a river crossing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,949 Americans carry the last name Bedford. That puts it at #3,963 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,451 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bedford 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 Bedford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,451
Census rank
#3,963
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,676 bearers of the surname Bedford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3963rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedford, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bedford
The surname Bedford originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational surname, derived from the town of Bedford in Bedfordshire. The name Bedford itself is derived from the Old English words "bed" meaning "bed" or "flat land" and "ford" meaning a shallow place where a river can be crossed.
The earliest known record of the surname Bedford dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bedeford." This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 11th century. During the Middle Ages, people commonly took surnames based on the places where they lived or originated from, which explains the origin of the name Bedford.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was John de Bedford, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195. In the 13th century, Robert de Bedford was listed as a landowner in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1279.
The surname Bedford has a long and distinguished history, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One of the most famous was John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford (1485-1555), a prominent statesman and military commander during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. Another notable figure was Thomas Bedford (1766-1838), an English writer and educator who founded the first modern secular school in India.
Other notable individuals with the surname Bedford include:
1. Gunning Bedford, Jr. (1747-1812), an American lawyer and politician from Delaware.
2. Arthur Bedford (1668-1745), an English naturalist and writer on agriculture.
3. John Bedford (1810-1879), an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University and Surrey.
4. Thomas Bedford (1591-1667), an English Protestant minister and author.
5. William Bedford (1773-1852), an English landscape painter and engraver.
Throughout its history, the surname Bedford has been associated with various place names and has had several spelling variations, such as Bedeford, Bedfort, and Bedforde, reflecting the changes in language and regional dialects over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bedford
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedford, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bedford 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 Bedford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.9% · 5,457
- Black or African American27.5% · 2,385
- Two or more races4.4% · 383
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 317
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bedford
Bedford 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
#4,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,814
+163 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.99
Rank movement Down 265 places
2020
#3,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,676
-138 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Up 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,764 | 8,651 | 3.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,029 | 8,814 | 2.99 | +163 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 265 places |
| 2020 | #3,963 | 8,676 | 2.90 | -138 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 66 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 Bedford 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 | #4,029 | #3,963 | 1.6% |
| Count | 8,814 | 8,676 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.99 | 2.90 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bedford bearers went from 8,814 to 8,676 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,029 to #3,963.
FAQ
Bedford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bedford?
Name Census estimates that about 9,949 living Americans carry the surname Bedford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,451 residents.
How common is Bedford?
Bedford ranks #3,963 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.90 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 8,676 people with the surname Bedford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,949), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.90 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 Bedford.
Has Bedford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bedford went from 8,814 recorded bearers to 8,676. That is a decrease of 138 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,029 to #3,963.
What does the Census say about the background of Bedford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedford, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Bedford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.9% (5,457 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bedford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.9%), Black (27.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Bedford (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 Bedford mean?
A locational surname derived from various places in England, likely referring to a fort or castle near a river crossing. 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 Bedford (2.90 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 surname Bedford?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.