2000
#2,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,827
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.38
Uncommon Last name
Lankford
An English locational surname derived from the Old English words "lang" meaning long and "ford" meaning a river crossing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,828 Americans carry the last name Lankford. That puts it at #3,143 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,719 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lankford 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
13K
1 in 26,719
Census rank
#3,143
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,187 bearers of the surname Lankford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3143rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lankford, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lankford
The surname Lankford is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words 'lanc' meaning long and 'ford' referring to a shallow place where a river or stream can be crossed. It likely originated as a place name for a location with a long ford, and over time, some individuals adopted it as their surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'Lancaforde' in Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
During the medieval period, variations of the name such as 'Lankford', 'Lanckford', and 'Lankeford' can be found in various historical records across different counties in England, indicating the name's spread throughout the country.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with this surname was John Lankford (c.1520-1592), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Lincoln from 1585 until his death.
Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Lankford (c.1570-1645), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Southwark in the early 17th century.
During the English Civil War, Sir William Lankford (c.1610-1677) was a Royalist commander who fought for King Charles I and was later knighted for his service.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Lankford (1732-1798) was a prominent American planter and politician who served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Virginia Convention that ratified the United States Constitution.
Transitioning to the 19th century, John Cabell Lankford (1797-1868) was a Virginia lawyer and judge who served on the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals from 1858 to 1868.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lankford
Among Census respondents with the surname Lankford, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lankford 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 Lankford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 9,047
- Black or African American9.4% · 1,052
- Two or more races4.7% · 530
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 358
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 88
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lankford
Lankford 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
#3,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,834
+7 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 4.01
Rank movement Down 235 places
2020
#3,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,187
-647 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 3.74
Rank movement Down 115 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,793 | 11,827 | 4.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,028 | 11,834 | 4.01 | +7 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 235 places |
| 2020 | #3,143 | 11,187 | 3.74 | -647 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 115 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 Lankford 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 | #3,028 | #3,143 | -3.8% |
| Count | 11,834 | 11,187 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.01 | 3.74 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lankford bearers went from 11,834 to 11,187 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 115 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,028 to #3,143.
FAQ
Lankford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lankford?
Name Census estimates that about 12,828 living Americans carry the surname Lankford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,719 residents.
How common is Lankford?
Lankford ranks #3,143 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,187 people with the surname Lankford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,828), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Lankford.
Has Lankford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lankford went from 11,834 recorded bearers to 11,187. That is a decrease of 647 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,028 to #3,143.
What does the Census say about the background of Lankford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lankford, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Lankford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (9,047 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lankford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Black (9.4%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Lankford (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 Lankford mean?
An English locational surname derived from the Old English words "lang" meaning long and "ford" meaning a river crossing. 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 Lankford (3.74 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 have the last name Lankford?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Lankford, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.