Liford last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Liford

Originally Germanic, a surname describing someone living near a lime tree.

Liford, 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 Liford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Liford in America

Liford is the 39659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Liford surname appeared 554 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 Liford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Liford 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 39659 38395 3.24%
Count 554 542 2.19%
Proportion per 100k 0.19 0.20 -5.13%

The history of the last name Liford

The surname LIFORD is of Anglo-Saxon origin, originating in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "lif" meaning "life" and "ford" meaning "a shallow place for crossing a river." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a ford or shallow river crossing.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname LIFORD can be traced back to the 13th century, with references found in various medieval records and charters. One notable mention is in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, which lists a Robert de Liford as a landowner.

In the 14th century, the name appears to have spread to different regions of England, with variations in spelling such as Lifford, Lyfford, and Liveford. This was a common occurrence during the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Sir John Liford, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the mid-14th century. He was born around 1325 and served under King Edward III in various military campaigns against the French.

Another notable figure was William Liford, a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 15th century. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1473.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the College of Arms, which was responsible for the regulation of heraldry and coats of arms in England. One such record mentions a Thomas Liford, who was granted a coat of arms in 1567.

During the 17teenth century, the surname LIFORD is associated with several prominent landowners and gentry families in various parts of England. One notable example is the Liford family of Lincolnshire, who owned estates in the village of Liford (now known as Linford) near Lincoln.

In the 18th century, the name LIFORD is found in various parish records and historical documents, including the birth and marriage records of several individuals bearing the surname. One notable individual from this period was Robert Liford, a clergyman and author who published several religious works in the late 1700s.

Throughout history, the surname LIFORD has been associated with various places and locations in England, such as the aforementioned village of Liford in Lincolnshire, as well as Lifford in Staffordshire and Lifford in Devon. These place names may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Liford

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

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 Liford was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.39% 534
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.26% 7
Hispanic Origin 2.35% 13

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 Liford has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.39% 95.39% 1.04%
Black 0.00% 0.92% -200.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.26% 2.03% -46.81%
Hispanic 2.35% 1.11% 71.68%

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

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

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"Liford last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 5, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/liford-surname-popularity/.

"Liford last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/liford-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 July, 2025

Liford last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/liford-surname-popularity/.

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