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

Fording, 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 Fording surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fording in America

Fording is the 70403rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fording surname appeared 278 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 Fording.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fording 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 Fording

The surname Fording has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "ford," meaning a shallow place where a river or stream can be crossed. It likely referred to someone who lived near a ford or a crossing over a body of water.

One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Richard de la Forde in Cambridgeshire. The "de la" prefix indicates the name was originally a descriptive one, referring to someone associated with a particular place or feature.

In the 14th century, the surname appears in various spellings, including Forde, Foorde, and Fforde, reflecting the inconsistencies in medieval recordkeeping. It is also found in place names such as Ford Abbey in Dorset and Ford Green in Staffordshire.

A notable bearer of this name was John Ford, an English dramatist and playwright who lived from 1586 to 1639. His works include the tragedies 'Tis Pity She's a Whore and The Broken Heart.

Another individual with this surname was Edward Fording, a 17th-century English explorer and buccaneer who sailed with William Dampier in the South Pacific. He was born around 1650 and is known for his accounts of his voyages.

In the 18th century, Sir William Fording (1736-1819) was a prominent British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

The 19th century saw the birth of Jane Fording (1819-1892), a British artist and watercolorist known for her landscapes and botanical illustrations.

More recently, John Fording (1928-2005) was an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the 1950s and 1960s.

While the name Fording may have originated from a specific geographical location, it has since spread across England and beyond, carried by individuals from different walks of life throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fording

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

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

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

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