2000
#10,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,721
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Danford
English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "dane ford," referring to a ford used by Danes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,026 Americans carry the last name Danford. That puts it at #11,418 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Danford 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 Danford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,270
Census rank
#11,418
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,639 bearers of the surname Danford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11418th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Danford, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Danford
The surname Danford is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "dene" meaning valley and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing, suggesting that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a ford in a valley.
Historically, the name Danford has been found in various old records and manuscripts from the 13th century onwards. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a William de Deneford.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, where a John Daneford was listed as a taxpayer. The name was also present in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1376, which recorded a transaction involving a Richard Danford.
One notable bearer of the Danford surname was Sir John Danford (c. 1540-1610), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Arundel during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another historical figure with this surname was Robert Danford (1625-1667), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Guide to Eternity" published in 1660.
In the 18th century, the name Danford can be found in various parish records, such as the baptism of Thomas Danford in 1723 at St. Mary's Church in Islington, London.
The 19th century saw several Danfords making their mark in different fields. One such individual was William Danford (1802-1876), a British architect known for designing numerous churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
Another notable bearer of the Danford surname was Sir Frederic John Danford (1839-1921), a British naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and served as the Governor of New South Wales from 1899 to 1904.
While the surname Danford has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, due to migration and exploration in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Danford
Among Census respondents with the surname Danford, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Danford 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 Danford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 2,179
- Black or African American7.5% · 199
- Two or more races4.1% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Danford
Danford 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
#11,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,692
-29 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 882 places
2020
#11,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,639
-53 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,762 | 2,721 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,644 | 2,692 | 0.91 | -29 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 882 places |
| 2020 | #11,418 | 2,639 | 0.88 | -53 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 226 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 Danford 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 | #11,644 | #11,418 | 1.9% |
| Count | 2,692 | 2,639 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.88 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Danford bearers went from 2,692 to 2,639 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 226 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,644 to #11,418.
FAQ
Danford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Danford?
Name Census estimates that about 3,026 living Americans carry the surname Danford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,270 residents.
How common is Danford?
Danford ranks #11,418 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 2,639 people with the surname Danford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,026), 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 Danford.
Has Danford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Danford went from 2,692 recorded bearers to 2,639. That is a decrease of 53 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,644 to #11,418.
What does the Census say about the background of Danford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Danford, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Danford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (2,179 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Danford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Black (7.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Danford (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 Danford mean?
English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "dane ford," referring to a ford used by Danes. 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 Danford (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 many people share the surname Danford?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.