2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dalfrey
A locational surname derived from a place name near Bristol, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Dalfrey. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dalfrey 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Dalfrey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dalfrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dalfrey
The surname Dalfrey has its origins in the French language, originating in the medieval period, likely around the 12th or 13th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old French word "d'Aufray," which was a locational name referring to a place called Aufray or Auffreville in Normandy, France.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dalfrey can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was already present in England shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the name Dalfrey was most prominent in Normandy and the surrounding regions of northern France. It's possible that the name entered England through the Norman aristocracy or as a result of the migration of French settlers to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the name Dalfrey was Sir William Dalfrey, a knight who fought alongside King Edward I during the Welsh Wars in the late 1200s. Another historical reference comes from the 14th century, with the mention of John Dalfrey, a landowner in Buckinghamshire, England, in records from the year 1327.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as Dalfery, Daulferey, and Daufrey, reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations of that time. During this period, a notable individual with the name was Robert Dalfrey, a merchant and Member of Parliament for Chichester in 1545.
In the 17th century, the name Dalfrey is associated with Sir Thomas Dalfrey, a Member of Parliament for Arundel and a supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. He was born in 1592 and died in 1673.
Another significant figure from this period was Sir William Dalfrey, who served as a Member of Parliament for Lewes in the late 17th century and was involved in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
The 18th century saw the emergence of John Dalfrey, a prominent figure in the American colonies. He was born in Boston in 1706 and served as a merchant and politician, representing Massachusetts in the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1776.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dalfrey
Among Census respondents with the surname Dalfrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dalfrey 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 Dalfrey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 10
- Black or African American4.3% · 5
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dalfrey
Dalfrey 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,512 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,496 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,512 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,496 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 Dalfrey 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 | #147,253 | #145,757 | 1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 115 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dalfrey bearers went from 112 to 115 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,496 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #145,757.
FAQ
Dalfrey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dalfrey?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Dalfrey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Dalfrey?
Dalfrey ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Dalfrey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dalfrey.
Has Dalfrey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dalfrey went from 112 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Dalfrey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dalfrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Black (4.3%). 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 Dalfrey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dalfrey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Hispanic (8.7%), Black (4.3%). 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 Dalfrey (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 Dalfrey mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name near Bristol, England. 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 Dalfrey (0.04 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 are called Dalfrey?
Find out how many people are called Dalfrey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.