2000
#11,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,456
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Gafford
An English occupational surname referring to a dealer or seller of spears and other weapons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,717 Americans carry the last name Gafford. That puts it at #12,497 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gafford 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.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,152
Census rank
#12,497
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,369 bearers of the surname Gafford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12497th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gafford, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gafford
The surname Gafford is believed to have originated in England, likely in the late medieval period or the early modern era. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "gæf," meaning "fruitful" or "prosperous," and "ford," which refers to a shallow river crossing.
This surname may have initially been used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a prosperous or fruitful ford or river crossing. It could also have been a locational surname, referring to a specific place with a name containing these elements.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gafford can be found in the Hertfordshire Subsidy Rolls of 1523, which mention a John Gafford. The surname also appears in various parish records and tax rolls from the 16th and 17th centuries, with spellings such as Gaffort, Gaforde, and Gayforde.
Notable individuals with the surname Gafford include William Gafford (1622-1681), an English Puritan clergyman and author, and John Gafford (1792-1868), an early settler in Illinois who played a role in the state's territorial government.
Other historical figures with this surname include:
- Thomas Gafford (1610-1677), an English landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire.
- Elizabeth Gafford (1756-1823), a British writer and philosopher known for her work on ethics and morality.
- James Gafford (1845-1924), an American Civil War veteran and later a prominent businessman in Texas.
- Harriet Gafford (1868-1951), an American educator and women's rights activist in the early 20th century.
While the surname Gafford is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gafford
Among Census respondents with the surname Gafford, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gafford 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 Gafford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.8% · 1,771
- Black or African American14.9% · 353
- Two or more races5.4% · 127
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gafford
Gafford 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
#12,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,586
+130 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 358 places
2020
#12,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,369
-217 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,701 | 2,456 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,059 | 2,586 | 0.88 | +130 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 358 places |
| 2020 | #12,497 | 2,369 | 0.79 | -217 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 438 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 Gafford 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 | #12,059 | #12,497 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,586 | 2,369 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.79 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gafford bearers went from 2,586 to 2,369 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 438 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,059 to #12,497.
FAQ
Gafford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gafford?
Name Census estimates that about 2,717 living Americans carry the surname Gafford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,152 residents.
How common is Gafford?
Gafford ranks #12,497 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,369 people with the surname Gafford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,717), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gafford.
Has Gafford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gafford went from 2,586 recorded bearers to 2,369. That is a decrease of 217 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,059 to #12,497.
What does the Census say about the background of Gafford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gafford, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Gafford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (1,771 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gafford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.8%), Black (14.9%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Gafford (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 Gafford mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a dealer or seller of spears and other weapons. 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 Gafford (0.79 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 common is the surname Gafford?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Gafford at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.