2000
#4,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,752
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.87
Rare Last name
Bickford
Derived from a place name meaning "bee cottage ford" in Old English, referring to a ford near a beekeeping cottage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,416 Americans carry the last name Bickford. That puts it at #4,689 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bickford 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 Bickford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.4K
1 in 40,727
Census rank
#4,689
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,339 bearers of the surname Bickford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4689th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bickford, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bickford
The surname Bickford has its origins in England, and it is believed to have emerged in the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "bic" meaning "beak" or "peak," and "ford," which refers to a shallow river crossing or a ford.
The name likely originated in areas where there were prominent landscape features resembling a beak or peak near a ford, such as in Devon or Cornwall. Some early spellings of the name included Bickford, Bickforde, and Bykford.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Bickford surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Devon from the year 1230, where a Walter de Bickford is listed. In the 13th century, the Bickford family held lands and properties in the parish of Bickford-Dolton in Devon.
In the 14th century, the Bickford family gained prominence, and several members were mentioned in historical records. Sir Roger Bickford (c. 1320-1384) was a notable figure who served as a member of Parliament for Devon in 1361 and 1372.
During the 16th century, the Bickfords were well-established landowners in Devon, with several branches of the family possessing manors and estates. One notable individual from this period was Sir Hugh Bickford (c. 1520-1592), who served as a Member of Parliament for Devon in 1572.
Another prominent figure with the Bickford surname was John Bickford (1644-1718), an English theologian and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Christian Hebraist" and "The Primitive Doctrine of the Protestant Church."
In the 18th century, Reverend Richard Bickford (1700-1769) was a notable Anglican clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Totnes and the Rector of Stoke Fleming in Devon.
Across the Atlantic, in the American colonies, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Bickford surname was that of John Bickford (c. 1635-1704), who settled in Salem, Massachusetts, in the 1650s and was a founder of the town of Sandwich, New Hampshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bickford
Among Census respondents with the surname Bickford, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bickford 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 Bickford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 6,747
- Two or more races3.5% · 259
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 206
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 41
- Black or African American0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bickford
Bickford 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
#4,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,728
-24 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 356 places
2020
#4,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,339
-389 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 99 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,234 | 7,752 | 2.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,590 | 7,728 | 2.62 | -24 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 356 places |
| 2020 | #4,689 | 7,339 | 2.46 | -389 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 99 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 Bickford 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 | #4,590 | #4,689 | -2.2% |
| Count | 7,728 | 7,339 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.62 | 2.46 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bickford bearers went from 7,728 to 7,339 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 99 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,590 to #4,689.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bickford
FAQ
Bickford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bickford?
Name Census estimates that about 8,416 living Americans carry the surname Bickford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,727 residents.
How common is Bickford?
Bickford ranks #4,689 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.46 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 7,339 people with the surname Bickford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,416), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.46 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 Bickford.
Has Bickford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bickford went from 7,728 recorded bearers to 7,339. That is a decrease of 389 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,590 to #4,689.
What does the Census say about the background of Bickford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bickford, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Bickford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (6,747 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bickford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Bickford (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 Bickford mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bee cottage ford" in Old English, referring to a ford near a beekeeping cottage. 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 Bickford (2.46 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 Bickford?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.