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

Bickford, 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 Bickford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bickford in America

Bickford is the 4590th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bickford surname appeared 7,728 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Bickford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bickford 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 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bickford

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

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

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

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