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

Eckford, 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 Eckford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eckford in America

Eckford is the 42455th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eckford surname appeared 511 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 Eckford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eckford 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 Eckford

The surname ECKFORD has its origins in the United Kingdom, specifically in the Scottish Borders region. It is believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century, derived from the Old English words "ęc" meaning oak and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing.

The earliest known record of the ECKFORD surname dates back to 1296, when a man named Richard de Ekeford is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of instruments of homage and fealty to King Edward I of England. This suggests that the name was already established in the Scottish Borders region by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the ECKFORD name appears in various Scottish charters and records, often associated with landholdings in the Roxburghshire and Berwickshire areas. One notable example is John de Eckford, who is mentioned in a charter from 1357 as holding lands near the town of Eckford in Roxburghshire.

The town of Eckford, located in the Scottish Borders, is believed to have derived its name from the ECKFORD surname, rather than the other way around. This suggests that the ECKFORD family may have been among the earliest settlers in the area, possibly as landowners or influential figures.

Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals with the ECKFORD surname have made their mark in various fields. One such person was Henry Eckford (1775-1832), a Scottish-American shipbuilder and naval architect who designed and constructed several notable vessels, including the USS Franklin and USS Niagara.

Another prominent ECKFORD was Sir Donald Eckford (1868-1937), a British civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Aswan Low Dam in Egypt and the Sennar Dam in Sudan.

In the literary world, Henry Eckford (1892-1965), a Scottish poet and writer, is remembered for his works that capture the lives and landscapes of the Scottish Borders region.

Other notable individuals with the ECKFORD surname include Robert Eckford (1767-1844), a Scottish businessman and entrepreneur who founded the successful mercantile firm of Eckford & Company in Montreal, Canada, and Alexander Eckford (1820-1885), a Scottish-American artist known for his landscape paintings of the American West.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eckford

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

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

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

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