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

Dunford, 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 Dunford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dunford in America

Dunford is the 8375th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dunford surname appeared 3,952 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dunford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dunford 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 Dunford

The surname Dunford is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the 11th century. It is believed to be a locational surname, derived from the place name "Dunford" in Yorkshire, England. This place name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "dun," meaning hill, and "ford," referring to a shallow river crossing.

During the medieval period, the name Dunford appeared in various historical records. One notable mention is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Dunforde," referring to a settlement in Yorkshire. This early documentation suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Dunford was John Dunford, who lived in Yorkshire during the 13th century. Another early bearer of the name was William Dunford, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1230.

In the 16th century, the surname Dunford appeared in several parish records, including those of St. Peter's Church in Sheffield, Yorkshire. This indicates that the name had spread from its original Yorkshire origins to other parts of England.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname Dunford. One such person was Sir William Dunford (1592-1667), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Salisbury during the reign of King Charles I.

Another prominent figure was John Dunford (1616-1687), an English Presbyterian minister and religious writer. He was known for his work "The Suffering Case of John Dunford," which detailed his experiences during the Restoration period.

In the 18th century, Samuel Dunford (1720-1799) was a notable English painter and engraver. He is particularly remembered for his landscapes and his work as an illustrator for various publications.

Moving into the 19th century, Edward Dunford (1834-1897) was a British explorer and traveler. He is renowned for his extensive travels in Africa and his written accounts, such as "The Pamirs: Being a Narrative of a Year's Expedition on Horseback and on Foot Through Kashmir, Western Tibet, Chinese Tartary, and Russian Central Asia."

In the 20th century, one prominent individual with the surname Dunford was Sir Henry Dunford (1892-1972), a British civil engineer and public servant. He played a crucial role in the construction of the London Underground and served as the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers from 1951 to 1952.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dunford

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

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

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

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