2000
#3,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,751
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.24
Rare Last name
Buford
From an English place name meaning "beaver ford," referring to a ford across a river inhabited by beavers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,847 Americans carry the last name Buford. That puts it at #4,014 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,808 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buford 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
9.8K
1 in 34,808
Census rank
#4,014
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,587 bearers of the surname Buford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4014th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.3%. The next largest groups are White (36.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buford
The surname Buford has its origins in England and traces back to the late 11th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the town of Buford in Oxfordshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Bugeforde." The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "bugan" meaning "to bend" and "ford" referring to a ford or river crossing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Buford can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, where a Roger de Bugeford is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a William de Bugeford.
During the Middle Ages, the spelling of the name varied considerably, with forms such as Buggeford, Buggeforde, and Bugforde appearing in various records. In the 16th century, the spelling began to settle into its modern form of Buford.
One notable historical figure with the surname Buford was William Buford (1651-1728), an English writer and philosopher who was a member of the Royal Society. Another was Abraham Buford (1747-1833), an American Revolutionary War officer who fought in the Battle of Waxhaws.
In the 19th century, Napoleon Buford (1807-1883) was a prominent American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Illinois. Thomas Buford (1834-1920) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, known for leading the Buford's Scouts cavalry unit.
More recently, Steve Buford (1925-2019) was an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers in the 1950s. Mary Buford (1910-1995) was an American actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career.
While the surname Buford has English origins, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. However, its roots can be traced back to the small town of Buford in Oxfordshire, where the name first emerged centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buford
Among Census respondents with the surname Buford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.3%. The next largest groups are White (36.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Buford 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 Buford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.3% · 4,661
- White36.3% · 3,113
- Two or more races5.0% · 427
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 308
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buford
Buford 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
#3,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,089
+338 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Down 185 places
2020
#4,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,587
-502 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.87
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,722 | 8,751 | 3.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,907 | 9,089 | 3.08 | +338 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 185 places |
| 2020 | #4,014 | 8,587 | 2.87 | -502 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 107 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 Buford 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 | #3,907 | #4,014 | -2.7% |
| Count | 9,089 | 8,587 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.08 | 2.87 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buford bearers went from 9,089 to 8,587 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,907 to #4,014.
FAQ
Buford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buford?
Name Census estimates that about 9,847 living Americans carry the surname Buford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,808 residents.
How common is Buford?
Buford ranks #4,014 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,587 people with the surname Buford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,847), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Buford.
Has Buford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buford went from 9,089 recorded bearers to 8,587. That is a decrease of 502 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,907 to #4,014.
What does the Census say about the background of Buford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.3%. The next largest groups are White (36.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Buford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.3% (4,661 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (54.3%), White (36.3%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Buford (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 Buford mean?
From an English place name meaning "beaver ford," referring to a ford across a river inhabited by beavers. 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 Buford (2.87 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 Buford?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.