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

Bridgeforth, 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 Bridgeforth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bridgeforth in America

Bridgeforth is the 19441st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bridgeforth surname appeared 1,390 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 Bridgeforth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bridgeforth 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 Bridgeforth

The surname Bridgeforth is of English origin, with records tracing its earliest use back to the 13th century in the counties of Worcestershire and Warwickshire. It is believed to be a locational surname, derived from a place name that once referred to a bridge or ford crossing a river or stream.

The name is thought to have originated from the Old English words "brycg" meaning bridge, and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing. It likely identified someone who lived near such a location. Similar spellings from ancient records include Bruggeford, Brygford, and Brigforth.

One of the earliest known mentions of the name is found in the Worcestershire Feet of Fines from 1275, which records a William de Bruggeford. Another early reference is in the Warwickshire Feet of Fines from 1315, which lists a Thomas de Brigforth.

In the 14th century, the Bridgeforth surname appeared in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327, with a John Briggeford recorded as a taxpayer. The name also surfaced in the Warwickshire Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332, with a Richard de Bruggeford listed.

Notable individuals with the Bridgeforth surname include John Bridgeforth (c. 1520 - 1595), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Coventry in 1555. Another was Thomas Bridgeforth (1578 - 1642), a clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Richmond from 1635 until his death.

In the 17th century, William Bridgeforth (1620 - 1688) was a prominent merchant and landowner in Worcestershire. His son, also named William Bridgeforth (1648 - 1712), followed in his father's footsteps and served as a Justice of the Peace.

During the 18th century, a notable figure was John Bridgeforth (1725 - 1798), a wealthy industrialist and ironmaster from Warwickshire, who owned several foundries and forges in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bridgeforth

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

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

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

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