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

Folds, 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 Folds surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Folds in America

Folds is the 18068th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Folds surname appeared 1,543 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 Folds.

We can also compare 2010 data for Folds 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 Folds

The surname Folds is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "falod," which referred to a piece of land that was enclosed or folded in, often used for grazing livestock. The name likely emerged as a description of someone who lived near or worked on such a plot of land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Folds can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Faloda." This reference suggests that the name had already become established in parts of England by the late 11th century.

In the centuries that followed, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Falde, Folde, and Foulde, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings during that era. The surname was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cumbria.

One notable bearer of the Folds surname was Richard Folds, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Wakefield, Yorkshire, in the 15th century. Records indicate that he owned several properties in the area and was involved in the wool trade.

Another prominent individual with this surname was William Folds, a philosopher and theologian who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Born in Lancashire in 1588, Folds studied at the University of Cambridge and later became a respected scholar and author of several works on religious and philosophical topics.

In the 18th century, the Folds surname can be found in various parish records and legal documents across England. One example is John Folds, a farmer from Cumbria, who was mentioned in several land transactions and court records dating from the 1730s.

The surname Folds also has connections to certain place names in England. For instance, the village of Fold in Lancashire may have derived its name from the same Old English word that gave rise to the surname. Similarly, the town of Foldsgate in Cumbria likely has a related etymology.

Other notable individuals with the Folds surname include Mary Folds, a prominent educator and philanthropist in the 19th century, and Thomas Folds, a successful businessman and industrialist who lived in Yorkshire in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Folds

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!