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

Burford, 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 Burford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burford in America

Burford is the 6861st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burford surname appeared 4,905 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 Burford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burford 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 Burford

The surname Burford has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the town of Burford in Oxfordshire. The name itself is believed to come from the Old English words "burh" meaning "fortified place" and "ford" meaning "a shallow river crossing."

One of the earliest known references to the name Burford can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions the town of Burford in Oxfordshire. This historical record indicates that the name was in use during the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the spelling "Burford" appears in various records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1230. This suggests that the name had become established as a surname by this time.

One notable bearer of the name Burford was Sir John Burford (c. 1420 - c. 1480), an English soldier and landowner who fought in the Wars of the Roses. He was knighted for his service to King Edward IV.

Another historical figure with the surname Burford was Richard Burford (1571 - 1641), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Sefton in Merseyside. He was known for his work in promoting education in the region.

In the 17th century, the name Burford was recorded in various parish registers across England. For instance, the baptism of Thomas Burford was recorded in the parish of St. Mary's, Burford, Oxfordshire, in 1628.

Another notable bearer of the name was Samuel Burford (1639 - 1719), an English Nonconformist minister and author. He wrote several religious works, including "The Doctrine of the Scripture" and "A Vindication of the Worship of God."

In the 18th century, the surname Burford appeared in various legal documents and records. One example is the will of John Burford, a yeoman farmer from Gloucestershire, dated 1742.

The name Burford has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Burford Hill in Worcestershire and Burford Meadow in Oxfordshire. These place names likely derive from the same Old English roots as the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burford

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!