2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Eaford
A locational surname derived from a place name in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Eaford. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eaford 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Eaford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eaford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eaford
The surname "EAFORD" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is likely derived from a place name, as many English surnames stem from the names of towns, villages, or geographical features where a person or family resided.
One theory suggests that "EAFORD" is a variation of the place name "Edford," which is found in several locations across England, including Wiltshire, Shropshire, and Worcestershire. The name "Edford" itself is thought to be derived from the Old English words "ēa," meaning "river," and "ford," meaning a shallow place where a river can be crossed.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "EAFORD" can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, a record from 1273 mentions a William de Eaford, who was a landowner in Gloucestershire. Another document from 1327 refers to a John Eaford, a merchant from Bristol.
In the 15th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Edeford," "Edeforde," and "Eadeforde," reflecting the phonetic variations common in that era. One notable individual from this period was Robert Eaford (c. 1420 - 1492), a monk and scholar who served as the prior of the Benedictine abbey in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.
During the 16th century, the spelling "EAFORD" became more standardized, and the name can be found in various historical records from that time. One notable figure was Sir Thomas Eaford (1542 - 1614), a English merchant and member of the East India Company, who played a significant role in establishing trade routes between England and India.
In the 17th century, the surname "EAFORD" was carried to the American colonies by English settlers. One of the earliest known individuals with this name in the New World was John Eaford (1625 - 1687), a farmer and landowner who settled in Virginia in the 1640s.
Other notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname "EAFORD" include:
1. Mary Eaford (1752 - 1832), an English author and poet from Gloucestershire.
2. William Eaford (1785 - 1863), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
3. Edward Eaford (1810 - 1892), an American lawyer and politician who served as a judge in Ohio.
4. Emily Eaford (1871 - 1945), a British suffragette and women's rights activist from London.
5. James Eaford (1899 - 1976), an Australian soldier who fought in World War I and was awarded the Military Cross for bravery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eaford
Among Census respondents with the surname Eaford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Eaford 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 Eaford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American98.1% · 101
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eaford
Eaford appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 413 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 413 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 Eaford 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 | #153,769 | #154,182 | -0.3% |
| Count | 106 | 103 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eaford bearers went from 106 to 103 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 413 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #154,182.
FAQ
Eaford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eaford?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Eaford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Eaford?
Eaford ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Eaford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Eaford.
Has Eaford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eaford went from 106 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Eaford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eaford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Eaford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eaford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (98.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Eaford (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 Eaford mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in 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 Eaford (0.03 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 common is the surname Eaford?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Eaford? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.