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

Morford, 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 Morford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Morford in America

Morford is the 11312th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Morford surname appeared 2,792 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 Morford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Morford 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 Morford

The surname Morford originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "mor" meaning moor or marsh and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a marshy area with a ford or shallow crossing.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be Morford in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176. Variations of the spelling included Morforde, Moreford, and Morforth. It is possible that the name may have been a locational surname, referring to a specific place named Morford, though no such place has been definitively identified.

In the 13th century, the name Morford was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, indicating the presence of the family in that region. The Hundred Rolls were a census-like record compiled in England between 1274 and 1279.

One notable individual with the surname Morford was John Morford, a prominent merchant and alderman of the city of London in the early 15th century. Records show that he was active in trade and civic affairs between the years 1420 and 1450.

Another early bearer of the name was William Morford, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1487. These rolls were legal records documenting the proceedings of the manorial court.

In the 16th century, the name Morford appeared in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. A baptismal record from 1562 lists the name of a child named Robert Morford.

One of the earliest known instances of the name in America can be traced back to Richard Morford, who was born in England around 1620 and later settled in Long Island, New York. He is considered an early ancestor of many Morfords in the United States.

Other notable individuals with the surname Morford include:

1. Thomas Morford (1741-1809), a prominent merchant and landowner in New Jersey.
2. John Morford (1771-1838), an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from New York.
3. Elizabeth Morford (1847-1925), an early American educator and advocate for women's rights.
4. Charles Morford (1880-1954), an English novelist and playwright known for his works set in the Regency era.
5. Wilbur Morford (1909-1987), an American science fiction author and editor who contributed significantly to the genre's development in the mid-20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Morford

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

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

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

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