2000
#8,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,757
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Dunford
From an English place name meaning "hill ford," referring to a ford at the foot of a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,325 Americans carry the last name Dunford. That puts it at #8,410 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,250 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunford 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 Dunford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,250
Census rank
#8,410
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,772 bearers of the surname Dunford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8410th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunford, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunford
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunford, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunford 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 Dunford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 3,339
- Black or African American4.3% · 164
- Two or more races3.4% · 129
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunford
Dunford 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
#8,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,952
+195 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 247 places
2020
#8,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,772
-180 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,128 | 3,757 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,375 | 3,952 | 1.34 | +195 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 247 places |
| 2020 | #8,410 | 3,772 | 1.26 | -180 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 35 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 Dunford 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 | #8,375 | #8,410 | -0.4% |
| Count | 3,952 | 3,772 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.26 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunford bearers went from 3,952 to 3,772 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,375 to #8,410.
FAQ
Dunford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunford?
Name Census estimates that about 4,325 living Americans carry the surname Dunford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,250 residents.
How common is Dunford?
Dunford ranks #8,410 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,772 people with the surname Dunford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,325), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Dunford.
Has Dunford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunford went from 3,952 recorded bearers to 3,772. That is a decrease of 180 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,375 to #8,410.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunford, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Dunford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (3,339 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Black (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Dunford (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 Dunford mean?
From an English place name meaning "hill ford," referring to a ford at the foot of a hill. 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 Dunford (1.26 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 Dunford?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.