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

Fordyce, 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 Fordyce surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fordyce in America

Fordyce is the 11870th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fordyce surname appeared 2,638 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 Fordyce.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fordyce 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 Fordyce

The surname Fordyce originated in Scotland in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "ford" and "wick," meaning a settlement or dwelling near a ford or shallow river crossing. The name was initially found in the county of Banffshire, located in the northeastern part of Scotland.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Fordyce surname can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, where a "Walter de Fordyce" is listed as a landholder in Banffshire. The name is also found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

In the 15th century, the Fordyce family held lands in the parish of Fordyce in Banffshire. The parish took its name from the nearby village of Fordyce, which was once an important market town. The earliest recorded spelling of the place name was "Fordice," as seen in the Registrum Episcopatus Aberdonensis from 1440.

One notable historical figure bearing the Fordyce surname was George Fordyce (1736-1802), a Scottish physician and lecturer on medicine. He was born in Aberdeen and became a prominent figure in medical education in London, where he taught at the Royal College of Physicians.

Another notable Fordyce was James Fordyce (1720-1796), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and author. He was born in Northamptonshire, England, and served as a pastor in various churches before becoming a popular preacher and lecturer in London.

Sir William Fordyce (1724-1792) was a Scottish physician and chemist who made significant contributions to the study of chemistry and mineralogy. He was born in Edinburgh and served as a professor of chemistry at the University of Edinburgh.

John Fordyce (1642-1679) was a Scottish minister and theologian who was persecuted for his religious beliefs during the Killing Times in Scotland. He was born in Aberdeenshire and became a prominent figure in the Covenanter movement.

In the 19th century, Alexander Dingwall Fordyce Saltoun (1805-1885) was a Scottish landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Banffshire from 1835 to 1857. He was born in Banffshire and inherited the Fordyce estates through his mother's family.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fordyce

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

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

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

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