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

Blackford, 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 Blackford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blackford in America

Blackford is the 7443rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blackford surname appeared 4,476 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Blackford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blackford 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 Blackford

The surname Blackford has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Blackford, which was located in Somerset or Devon. The name itself is a combination of the Old English words "blæc" meaning "black" and "ford" meaning "a shallow river crossing."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Blacheford." This suggests that the name was already established in England during the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Blakeford" in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset, indicating the presence of the name in that county. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, Blackford.

Notable individuals with the surname Blackford throughout history include:

1. Sir John Blackford (c. 1530-1587), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1586.
2. Samuel Blackford (1633-1680), an English Puritan minister and author of several religious works.
3. Isaac Blackford (1786-1859), an American lawyer and judge who served as a Justice on the Supreme Court of Indiana.
4. Eugene G. Blackford (1817-1901), an American naval officer who served during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.
5. Benjamin Blackford (1820-1892), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia.

The name Blackford has also been associated with various place names, such as Blackford Village in Somerset, England, and Blackford Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland. These place names likely originated from the same Old English roots as the surname, reflecting the presence of the name in different regions of Britain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blackford

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

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

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

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