2000
#13,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Binford
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "bean ford" or "ford by a bean field."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,376 Americans carry the last name Binford. That puts it at #13,940 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,257 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Binford 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.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 144,257
Census rank
#13,940
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,072 bearers of the surname Binford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13940th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Binford, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Binford
The surname Binford is believed to have originated in England, possibly during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "byn" meaning a bin or container, and "ford" referring to a shallow river crossing. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a ford where bins or containers were kept, possibly for transportation or storage purposes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Binford can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Roger de Bynford from Oxfordshire. The "de" prefix indicates that Roger was from the location of Bynford, likely a small village or hamlet at the time. This provides evidence that the name was already established by the 13th century.
In the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, a John de Binford is mentioned, hinting at an alternative spelling of the name. This variation could have arisen due to regional dialects or scribal errors in recording the name.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 after the Norman Conquest, does not appear to contain any direct references to the name Binford. However, it does list various place names that may have contributed to the formation of the surname, such as "Byneford" and "Bynefort" in Hampshire and Somerset, respectively.
One notable individual with the surname Binford was Sir Thomas Binford (c. 1495-1556), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1536 and was knighted by King Henry VIII.
Another historical figure was John Binford (1588-1654), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Brampton in Northamptonshire. He was known for his religious writings and sermons.
In the 17th century, William Binford (1628-1701) was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Bristol from 1679 to 1685. He was involved in various legal disputes and controversies during his political career.
Moving to the 18th century, George Binford (1727-1789) was a notable English architect who designed several churches and country houses in the Georgian style. Some of his notable works include St. Mary's Church in Warwick and Binford Manor in Gloucestershire.
Finally, in the 19th century, Sir Robert Binford (1814-1888) was a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General and was knighted for his distinguished service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Binford
Among Census respondents with the surname Binford, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Binford 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 Binford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.7% · 1,361
- Black or African American24.2% · 501
- Two or more races4.9% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Binford
Binford 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
#13,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,186
+71 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 597 places
2020
#13,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,072
-114 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,233 | 2,115 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,830 | 2,186 | 0.74 | +71 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 597 places |
| 2020 | #13,940 | 2,072 | 0.69 | -114 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 110 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 Binford 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 | #13,830 | #13,940 | -0.8% |
| Count | 2,186 | 2,072 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.69 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Binford bearers went from 2,186 to 2,072 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,830 to #13,940.
FAQ
Binford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Binford?
Name Census estimates that about 2,376 living Americans carry the surname Binford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,257 residents.
How common is Binford?
Binford ranks #13,940 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,072 people with the surname Binford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Binford.
Has Binford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Binford went from 2,186 recorded bearers to 2,072. That is a decrease of 114 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,830 to #13,940.
What does the Census say about the background of Binford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Binford, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Binford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.7% (1,361 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Binford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.7%), Black (24.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Binford (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 Binford mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "bean ford" or "ford by a bean field." 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 Binford (0.69 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 Binford?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.