2000
#22,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,074
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Pickford
Possibly derived from a locality name meaning "ford by the picked or enclosed land".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,300 Americans carry the last name Pickford. That puts it at #23,144 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 263,657 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pickford 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 Pickford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 263,657
Census rank
#23,144
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,134 bearers of the surname Pickford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23144th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pickford, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pickford
The surname Pickford originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "pic" meaning a hill or peak, and "ford" referring to a shallow river crossing. The name is believed to have originated as a topographic surname, describing someone who lived near a hill or peak by a ford or river crossing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pickford can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is recorded as "Picford" in this document, referring to a settlement in Cheshire.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Pykford" and "Pikford" in historical records from counties like Lancashire, Cheshire, and Staffordshire. This suggests that the name was particularly prevalent in the northwest regions of England during this period.
One notable bearer of the Pickford surname was John Pickford, who lived in the 15th century and was appointed as the Mayor of Coventry in 1458. Another early record mentions a William Pickford, born around 1530, who was a landowner in the village of Adlington, Cheshire.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Mary Pickford (1892-1979), a Canadian-American actress and producer who was a pioneering figure in the early days of Hollywood. She was known as "America's Sweetheart" and was one of the most popular actresses of the silent film era.
Other notable individuals with the Pickford surname include James Pickford (1737-1805), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, and Edward Pickford (1750-1819), an English inventor and engineer who patented several agricultural machines.
Throughout history, the surname Pickford has been associated with various place names and locations, including Pickford Green in Cheshire, Pickford Brook in Staffordshire, and Pickford Hill in Shropshire, all of which are likely derived from the same Old English roots as the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pickford
Among Census respondents with the surname Pickford, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pickford 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 Pickford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.7% · 892
- Black or African American9.6% · 109
- Two or more races5.6% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pickford
Pickford 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
#22,892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,118
+44 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 522 places
2020
#23,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,134
+16 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 252 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,370 | 1,074 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,892 | 1,118 | 0.38 | +44 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 522 places |
| 2020 | #23,144 | 1,134 | 0.38 | +16 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 252 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 Pickford 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 | #22,892 | #23,144 | -1.1% |
| Count | 1,118 | 1,134 | 1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.38 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pickford bearers went from 1,118 to 1,134 (+1.4% change). The surname moved down 252 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,892 to #23,144.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pickford
FAQ
Pickford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pickford?
Name Census estimates that about 1,300 living Americans carry the surname Pickford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 263,657 residents.
How common is Pickford?
Pickford ranks #23,144 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.38 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 1,134 people with the surname Pickford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,300), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.38 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 Pickford.
Has Pickford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pickford went from 1,118 recorded bearers to 1,134. That is an increase of 16 (+1.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,892 to #23,144.
What does the Census say about the background of Pickford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pickford, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Pickford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (892 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pickford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.7%), Black (9.6%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Pickford (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 Pickford mean?
Possibly derived from a locality name meaning "ford by the picked or enclosed land". 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 Pickford (0.38 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 Americans have the surname Pickford?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.