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

Ford, 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 Ford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ford in America

Ford is the 137th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ford surname appeared 184,832 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 63 people would have the surname Ford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ford 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 Ford

The surname Ford is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "ford," which means a shallow place where a river or stream can be crossed. It was originally an occupational name for someone who lived near a ford or was responsible for maintaining a ford.

The name can be traced back to the 11th century in England, and it appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation in England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book lists several individuals with the surname Ford or similar spellings like Forde or Forde.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ford is in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, which date back to 1176. These rolls mention a person named Radulfus de la Forde, indicating that the name was already in use by the late 12th century.

The surname Ford is also associated with various place names in England, such as Ford in Northumberland, Ford in Sussex, and Ford in Shropshire. These place names likely contributed to the widespread adoption of the surname in different regions of the country.

Notable individuals with the surname Ford throughout history include:

1. John Ford (1586-c.1639), an English playwright and poet, known for his tragedies such as 'Tis Pity She's a Whore and The Broken Heart.

2. Henry Ford (1863-1947), the American industrialist and business magnate who founded the Ford Motor Company and revolutionized the automobile industry with the assembly line production method.

3. Gerald Ford (1913-2006), the 38th President of the United States, who served from 1974 to 1977 after taking over for the resigned Richard Nixon.

4. Sir Edmund Ford (1605-1670), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1671.

5. Harrison Ford (born 1942), the iconic American actor known for his roles in films such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Blade Runner.

While the surname Ford has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world and can now be found in various countries and cultures, reflecting the mobility and diversity of human populations over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ford

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

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

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

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