2000
#7,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Blackford
A locational surname derived from various places in England and Scotland, referring to a dark or muddy ford.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,991 Americans carry the last name Blackford. That puts it at #7,385 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,674 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blackford 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 Blackford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,674
Census rank
#7,385
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,352 bearers of the surname Blackford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7385th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blackford, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blackford
Among Census respondents with the surname Blackford, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Blackford 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 Blackford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 3,786
- Black or African American5.1% · 220
- Two or more races4.5% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blackford
Blackford 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
#7,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,476
+160 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 306 places
2020
#7,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,352
-124 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,137 | 4,316 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,443 | 4,476 | 1.52 | +160 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 306 places |
| 2020 | #7,385 | 4,352 | 1.46 | -124 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 58 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 Blackford 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 | #7,443 | #7,385 | 0.8% |
| Count | 4,476 | 4,352 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.46 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blackford bearers went from 4,476 to 4,352 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,443 to #7,385.
FAQ
Blackford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blackford?
Name Census estimates that about 4,991 living Americans carry the surname Blackford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,674 residents.
How common is Blackford?
Blackford ranks #7,385 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 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 4,352 people with the surname Blackford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,991), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 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 Blackford.
Has Blackford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blackford went from 4,476 recorded bearers to 4,352. That is a decrease of 124 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,443 to #7,385.
What does the Census say about the background of Blackford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blackford, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Blackford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (3,786 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blackford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (5.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Blackford (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 Blackford mean?
A locational surname derived from various places in England and Scotland, referring to a dark or muddy ford. 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 Blackford (1.46 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 Americans have the surname Blackford?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.