2000
#6,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,639
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.72
Rare Last name
Fordham
A locational surname referring to a place in Essex, England, meaning "ford by the homestead."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,421 Americans carry the last name Fordham. That puts it at #6,849 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,227 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fordham 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fordham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,227
Census rank
#6,849
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,727 bearers of the surname Fordham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6849th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fordham, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fordham
The surname Fordham originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the town of Fordham in Cambridgeshire. The name is composed of the Old English words "ford" meaning a shallow place where a river can be crossed and "ham" meaning a homestead or village.
The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Fordeham". This entry refers to the village of Fordham, indicating the name's origins as a place name before becoming a hereditary surname.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with different spellings such as Fordeham, Fordam, and Fordham. One notable example is Robert de Fordham, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285.
During the 14th century, the surname spread beyond Cambridgeshire, with records showing instances of the name in other parts of England. One example is John Fordham, a prominent merchant from London, who was born around 1350.
In the 15th century, the Fordham family established themselves as landowners and members of the gentry class. Sir John Fordham, born in 1425, was a Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire and served as the High Sheriff of the county.
Another notable figure was George Fordham, a scholar and clergyman born in 1552. He was appointed as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and played a significant role in the academic and religious life of the university.
In the 17th century, the Fordham family continued to hold influential positions. Nicholas Fordham, born in 1620, was a prominent lawyer and served as the Recorder of Bristol.
The 18th century saw the rise of John Fordham, a renowned architect born in 1728. He designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St Mary Woolnoth and the western wing of Somerset House.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Fordham was Edward Fordham Flower, born in 1805. He was a pioneering artist and a member of the Royal Academy, known for his landscape paintings of the English countryside.
Throughout its history, the surname Fordham has been associated with various professions, including law, academia, religion, architecture, and the arts, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fordham
Among Census respondents with the surname Fordham, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fordham 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 Fordham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.4% · 3,141
- Black or African American26.0% · 1,229
- Two or more races3.6% · 168
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 151
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fordham
Fordham appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,838
+199 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 218 places
2020
#6,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,727
-111 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,712 | 4,639 | 1.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,930 | 4,838 | 1.64 | +199 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 218 places |
| 2020 | #6,849 | 4,727 | 1.58 | -111 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 81 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 Fordham 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 | #6,930 | #6,849 | 1.2% |
| Count | 4,838 | 4,727 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.58 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fordham bearers went from 4,838 to 4,727 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,930 to #6,849.
FAQ
Fordham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fordham?
Name Census estimates that about 5,421 living Americans carry the surname Fordham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,227 residents.
How common is Fordham?
Fordham ranks #6,849 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,727 people with the surname Fordham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,421), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Fordham.
Has Fordham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fordham went from 4,838 recorded bearers to 4,727. That is a decrease of 111 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,930 to #6,849.
What does the Census say about the background of Fordham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fordham, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fordham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.4% (3,141 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fordham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.4%), Black (26.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Fordham (2000, 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 Fordham mean?
A locational surname referring to a place in Essex, England, meaning "ford by the homestead." 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 Fordham (1.58 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 many people are called Fordham?
Find out how many people have the surname Fordham on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.