2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Paddleford
A surname potentially derived from a place name referring to a ford crossed by paddling or wading.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Paddleford. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paddleford 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Paddleford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paddleford, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paddleford
The surname Paddleford originated in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from a place name, likely referring to a ford or crossing over a body of water that could be paddled across.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Paddleford appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1198, where a Richard de Padeleford is mentioned. This suggests the name may have originated in the Gloucestershire region.
In the 13th century, the name Paddleford appears in various records with slight variations in spelling, such as Padeleford, Paddeleford, and Paddelford. These variations were common during this time due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
The Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like survey of landowners in England, includes a reference to a Henry de Padeleford, who held lands in the county of Wiltshire.
In the 14th century, the surname Paddleford can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John de Paddelford is mentioned in 1315.
One notable bearer of the Paddleford name was Sir William Paddleford (c. 1390-1472), a Member of Parliament for the county of Gloucestershire during the reign of Henry VI.
The Paddleford surname also appears in the records of the College of Arms, the official authority on heraldic matters in England. In 1525, a coat of arms was granted to Thomas Paddleford of Gloucestershire, indicating the family's prominence at the time.
Another notable figure was Sir John Paddleford (1550-1628), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from London who funded the construction of several almshouses for the poor.
In the 17th century, the name Paddleford can be found in parish records from various counties, including Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Yorkshire, suggesting the name had spread across different regions of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Paddleford surname in the American colonies dates back to 1638, when Robert Paddleford is listed as a passenger on the ship "Bevis" bound for Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paddleford
Among Census respondents with the surname Paddleford, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Paddleford 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 Paddleford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 106
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paddleford
Paddleford appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4,524 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 Paddleford 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 | #144,141 | #148,665 | -3.1% |
| Count | 115 | 111 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paddleford bearers went from 115 to 111 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4,524 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #148,665.
FAQ
Paddleford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paddleford?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Paddleford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Paddleford?
Paddleford ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Paddleford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Paddleford.
Has Paddleford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paddleford went from 115 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Paddleford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paddleford, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Paddleford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paddleford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Paddleford (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 Paddleford mean?
A surname potentially derived from a place name referring to a ford crossed by paddling or wading. 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 Paddleford (0.04 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 Paddleford?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Paddleford? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.