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

Branford, 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 Branford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Branford in America

Branford is the 45740th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Branford surname appeared 467 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Branford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Branford 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 Branford

The surname BRANFORD has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "bran" meaning "burnt" or "brown" and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing, suggesting that the name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a burnt or discolored ford.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical records such as the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Braneford" and "Braneforde" in reference to settlements in Essex and Middlesex. This indicates that the name was already well-established by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname BRANFORD was Richard de Branford, a landowner mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1194. Another notable figure from the 13th century was William de Branford, who served as a clerk and justice in Kent around 1260.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the form "Branforde" in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk, suggesting a connection to the village of the same name. During this time, Robert Branforde (c. 1320 - 1390) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London.

The 15th century saw the rise of Thomas Branford (c. 1430 - 1498), a scholar and clergyman who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, and later as the Bishop of Worcester. His contemporary, John Branford (c. 1440 - 1510), was a renowned mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of the Julian calendar.

As the name spread across England, it also gave rise to various place names, such as Branford in Dorset and Branford in Suffolk, which likely derived from the surname itself. In the 16th century, Sir Edward Branford (c. 1550 - 1628) was a notable figure who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1616.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Branford

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

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

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

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