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

Dolford, 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 Dolford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dolford in America

Dolford is the 119508th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dolford surname appeared 145 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Dolford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dolford 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 Dolford

The surname Dolford is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Wiltshire, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "dol," meaning a valley or dell, and "ford," referring to a shallow river crossing or ford.

This surname is thought to have been initially used to identify individuals who lived near or were associated with a particular valley or dell that had a ford crossing a stream or river. The earliest known record of the name dates back to the late 12th century, where it appears in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire as "Dolleford."

In the 13th century, the name is mentioned in the Cartulary of Bradenstoke Priory, a Wiltshire monastery, where a certain William de Dolleford is listed as a witness to a land grant. This suggests that the Dolford family may have held some prominence in the local community at the time.

During the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Dolforde," "Dolleford," and "Doleford," reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. One notable individual from this period was John Dolford, a yeoman farmer from the village of Donhead St. Mary in Wiltshire, who is recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334.

The 16th century brought forth another notable Dolford, Sir Thomas Dolford (c. 1490 - 1558), a wealthy landowner from Salisbury, Wiltshire. He served as a member of Parliament and was known for his support of the Reformation under King Henry VIII.

In the 17th century, the name is found in the parish records of several Wiltshire villages, such as Mere and Tisbury, suggesting that the Dolford family had spread across the county. One individual of note from this era was William Dolford (1621 - 1688), a prominent merchant and alderman in the town of Devizes, Wiltshire.

As the centuries passed, the Dolford surname continued to be associated with the county of Wiltshire, with many individuals bearing the name living and working in the region. Other notable examples include John Dolford (1744 - 1823), a renowned clockmaker from Warminster, and Elizabeth Dolford (1789 - 1867), a philanthropist and benefactor of several charitable institutions in Salisbury.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dolford

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

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

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

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