2000
#11,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,590
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Comerford
From a place name meaning "confluence ford," referring to a river crossing near the joining of two streams.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,007 Americans carry the last name Comerford. That puts it at #11,487 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,985 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Comerford 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 Comerford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,985
Census rank
#11,487
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,622 bearers of the surname Comerford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11487th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Comerford, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Comerford
The surname Comerford originates from England and Ireland, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cumera" meaning newcomer or stranger, and "ford", referring to a shallow crossing point over a river or stream.
In England, the name is found in records from the county of Staffordshire, where it appears as early as 1275 in the Hundred Rolls of that county. This suggests that the name may have originated in that region. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I.
In Ireland, the name is associated with County Kilkenny, where it is believed to have been introduced by English settlers during the Norman invasion of the 12th century. The earliest recorded instance of the name in Ireland dates back to 1318, when a Radulphus de Comerford is mentioned in the Plea Rolls of County Kilkenny.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Comerford, who lived in the 15th century and served as Sheriff of County Kilkenny in 1483. Another was James Comerford, a Catholic priest and historian who was born in Waterford, Ireland, in 1659 and died in 1702. He wrote a history of Ireland titled "Historiae Hibernicae Compendium".
In the 16th century, the Comerfords were among the leading families of County Kilkenny, with branches also established in Counties Waterford and Wexford. The name is associated with several place names in Ireland, including Comerford's Court and Comerford's Glen in County Kilkenny.
In England, the name is found in various spellings, such as Comerford, Cummerford, and Comberford. One notable bearer was Robert Comerford, an English clergyman who was born in Staffordshire in 1608 and died in 1675. He served as the Dean of Carlisle Cathedral.
Another notable figure was Michael Comerford, an Irish-born Australian pioneer and landowner who lived from 1773 to 1857. He settled in New South Wales and acquired extensive land holdings in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Comerford
Among Census respondents with the surname Comerford, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Comerford 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 Comerford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,404
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 90
- Two or more races3.2% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 26
- Black or African American0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Comerford
Comerford 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
#11,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,722
+132 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 330 places
2020
#11,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,622
-100 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,220 | 2,590 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,550 | 2,722 | 0.92 | +132 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 330 places |
| 2020 | #11,487 | 2,622 | 0.88 | -100 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 63 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 Comerford 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 | #11,550 | #11,487 | 0.5% |
| Count | 2,722 | 2,622 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.88 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Comerford bearers went from 2,722 to 2,622 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,550 to #11,487.
FAQ
Comerford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Comerford?
Name Census estimates that about 3,007 living Americans carry the surname Comerford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,985 residents.
How common is Comerford?
Comerford ranks #11,487 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,622 people with the surname Comerford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,007), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Comerford.
Has Comerford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Comerford went from 2,722 recorded bearers to 2,622. That is a decrease of 100 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,550 to #11,487.
What does the Census say about the background of Comerford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Comerford, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Comerford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,404 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Comerford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Comerford (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 Comerford mean?
From a place name meaning "confluence ford," referring to a river crossing near the joining of two streams. 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 Comerford (0.88 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 common is the surname Comerford?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Comerford at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.