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

Forde, 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 Forde surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Forde in America

Forde is the 6713th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Forde surname appeared 5,031 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Forde.

We can also compare 2010 data for Forde 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 Forde

The surname Forde is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word "ford," which means a shallow place where a river or stream can be crossed. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name for someone who lived near a ford or a crossing point over a river.

The name Forde can be traced back to the 11th century and is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "de la Forde," which appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1187.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Forde was particularly prominent in the counties of Somerset, Dorset, and Devon in the southwest of England. There are several place names in these counties that incorporate the word "ford," such as Bradford (broad ford), Sampford (sandy ford), and Radford (red ford).

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Forde was Sir John Forde (c. 1470-1542), an English soldier and courtier during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII. He served as Lord Privy Seal and was appointed Governor of the Isle of Wight in 1536.

Another notable bearer of the name was Edward Forde (1765-1770), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the capture of Fort St. David and the French settlement of Pondicherry during the Seven Years' War in India.

In the literary world, the surname Forde is associated with Charles Forde (1897-1979), an Irish-born poet and playwright who was a member of the Irish literary renaissance movement in the early 20th century.

The name Forde has also been connected to the automotive industry through Henry Ford (1863-1947), the American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company. Although his surname is spelled differently, it is believed to have originated from the same Old English root word "ford."

Another prominent figure with the surname Forde was Samuel Forde (1805-1828), an English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club and is considered one of the earliest professional cricketers in the game's history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Forde

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

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

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

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