2000
#7,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,026
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Medford
Derived from a place name meaning "middle ford," referring to a shallow crossing point in a river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,425 Americans carry the last name Medford. That puts it at #8,217 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,459 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Medford 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Medford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,459
Census rank
#8,217
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,859 bearers of the surname Medford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8217th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Medford, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Medford
The surname Medford has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the town of Medford, located in the county of Staffordshire. The name Medford itself is derived from the Old English words "mæd" meaning meadow and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Medford can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. The name is listed as "Medeford" in this historical document, referring to the town in Staffordshire.
In the 13th century, a man named Robert de Medford was recorded as a landowner in the village of Medford, suggesting that the surname was already in use during that time period. Another early reference to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1274-1275, which were records of landowners and tenants in various counties of England.
One of the notable individuals bearing the surname Medford was Sir John Medford (c. 1460-1534), who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme during the reign of Henry VIII. He was also a prominent figure in the local government of Staffordshire.
Another individual of note was William Medford (1587-1657), who was a English clergyman and academic. He served as the Provost of Eton College from 1644 until his death in 1657.
In the 17th century, a man named Thomas Medford (1622-1689) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol. He was also involved in the local government and served as a Sheriff of Bristol.
Moving into the 18th century, there was a wealthy landowner named Edward Medford (1704-1782) who owned several estates in the county of Shropshire. He was also a Justice of the Peace and served as the High Sheriff of Shropshire in 1745.
Finally, in the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Medford was Sir John Medford (1828-1901), who was a British diplomat and politician. He served as the Governor of the Bahamas from 1879 to 1884 and was later appointed as the Governor of the Windward Islands from 1888 to 1892.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Medford
Among Census respondents with the surname Medford, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Medford 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 Medford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.4% · 2,911
- Black or African American14.6% · 564
- Two or more races5.3% · 206
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Medford
Medford 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
#8,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,099
+73 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 476 places
2020
#8,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,859
-240 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 128 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,613 | 4,026 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,089 | 4,099 | 1.39 | +73 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 476 places |
| 2020 | #8,217 | 3,859 | 1.29 | -240 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 128 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 Medford 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 | #8,089 | #8,217 | -1.6% |
| Count | 4,099 | 3,859 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.29 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Medford bearers went from 4,099 to 3,859 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 128 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,089 to #8,217.
FAQ
Medford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Medford?
Name Census estimates that about 4,425 living Americans carry the surname Medford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,459 residents.
How common is Medford?
Medford ranks #8,217 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,859 people with the surname Medford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Medford.
Has Medford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Medford went from 4,099 recorded bearers to 3,859. That is a decrease of 240 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,089 to #8,217.
What does the Census say about the background of Medford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Medford, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Medford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.4% (2,911 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Medford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.4%), Black (14.6%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Medford (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 Medford mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "middle ford," referring to a shallow crossing point in a river. 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 Medford (1.29 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 Medford?
See how many people are called Medford on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.