2000
#10,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,704
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Mulford
Derived from a place name meaning "ford by a mill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,913 Americans carry the last name Mulford. That puts it at #11,793 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,664 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mulford 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 Mulford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,664
Census rank
#11,793
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,540 bearers of the surname Mulford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11793rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulford, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mulford
The surname Mulford has its origins in England, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "mul" meaning "bare hill" and "ford" meaning "a shallow place for crossing a river or stream." This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name referring to a settlement near a ford crossing over a river or stream at the base of a bare hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named "Muleford" in the county of Somerset, England. This provides evidence that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show a "John de Muleford" listed as a landowner in the county of Wiltshire, England. The "de" prefix indicates that the name was originally derived from a place name, further reinforcing its locational origins.
During the late medieval period, variations in spelling began to emerge, with forms such as "Mulford," "Mulforde," and "Mulforde" appearing in various historical documents and records.
One notable figure with the surname Mulford was Sir John Mulford (c. 1450-1524), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of Henry VIII.
Another individual of note was Captain Thomas Mulford (c. 1610-1679), an early settler in the American colonies who established a homestead on Long Island, New York, in the mid-17th century. His descendants went on to become influential members of the local community.
In the 18th century, Reverend Samuel Mulford (1710-1780) was a respected Anglican clergyman and educator in Connecticut, serving as the principal of several prestigious schools during his lifetime.
The 19th century saw the rise of John Mulford (1807-1891), an influential American historian and author who published several works on the history of New Jersey and Long Island.
Additionally, Prentice Mulford (1834-1891) was a renowned American philosopher and writer who played a significant role in the development of the New Thought movement, advocating for positive thinking and self-improvement.
While the surname Mulford has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through British migration and colonization efforts. However, its origins can be traced back to the early medieval period in England, where it likely originated as a locational surname derived from a settlement near a ford crossing at the base of a bare hill.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mulford
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulford, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mulford 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 Mulford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 2,323
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 104
- Two or more races2.2% · 56
- Black or African American0.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mulford
Mulford 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
#11,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,773
+69 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 553 places
2020
#11,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,540
-233 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 419 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,821 | 2,704 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,374 | 2,773 | 0.94 | +69 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 553 places |
| 2020 | #11,793 | 2,540 | 0.85 | -233 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 419 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 Mulford 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 | #11,374 | #11,793 | -3.7% |
| Count | 2,773 | 2,540 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.85 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mulford bearers went from 2,773 to 2,540 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 419 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,374 to #11,793.
FAQ
Mulford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mulford?
Name Census estimates that about 2,913 living Americans carry the surname Mulford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,664 residents.
How common is Mulford?
Mulford ranks #11,793 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,540 people with the surname Mulford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,913), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Mulford.
Has Mulford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mulford went from 2,773 recorded bearers to 2,540. That is a decrease of 233 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,374 to #11,793.
What does the Census say about the background of Mulford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulford, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Mulford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (2,323 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mulford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Mulford (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 Mulford mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "ford by a mill" in Old English. 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 Mulford (0.85 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 are called Mulford?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Mulford at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.