2000
#7,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,877
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Pitchford
A locational surname referring to someone from Pitchford, a place in Shropshire, England, meaning "ford by a steep place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,424 Americans carry the last name Pitchford. That puts it at #8,220 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,476 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pitchford 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 Pitchford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,476
Census rank
#8,220
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,858 bearers of the surname Pitchford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8220th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pitchford, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (25.9%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pitchford
The surname PITCHFORD is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from a locational name, referring to someone who lived near a farm or settlement with the Old English words "pytt" meaning pit or hollowand "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing.
The earliest known record of the PITCHFORD surname dates back to the late 12th century in the county of Shropshire. In the Pipe Rolls of 1195, a Roger de Picheford is mentioned as holding land in the village of Pitchford, near Shrewsbury.
Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, various spellings of the name can be found in historical records such as the Hundred Rolls, the Inquisitiones Post Mortem, and the Feet of Fines. Variations include Pycheford, Pichford, and Pitchforde, reflecting the evolving spelling and pronunciation of the name.
One notable PITCHFORD from history was Sir John Pitchford (c.1520-1585), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was a native of Shropshire and played a significant role in the legal and judicial affairs of his time.
Another PITCHFORD of historical note was Thomas Pitchford (c.1630-1687), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Cry of the Oppressed" and "The Sinful Nature of Sin."
In the 18th century, John Pitchford (1723-1789) was a renowned English clockmaker and inventor from Lichfield, Staffordshire. His innovative clock designs and contributions to the field of horology earned him recognition among his contemporaries.
Moving into the 19th century, William Pitchford (1825-1891) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas, including churches, schools, and public buildings.
Lastly, Sir Ralph Pitchford (1895-1982) was a distinguished British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1949 to 1954, playing a crucial role in strengthening diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pitchford
Among Census respondents with the surname Pitchford, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (25.9%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pitchford 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 Pitchford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.0% · 2,469
- Black or African American25.9% · 1,001
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 155
- Two or more races4.0% · 154
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pitchford
Pitchford 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
#8,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,044
+167 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 289 places
2020
#8,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,858
-186 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,917 | 3,877 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,206 | 4,044 | 1.37 | +167 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 289 places |
| 2020 | #8,220 | 3,858 | 1.29 | -186 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 14 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 Pitchford 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 | #8,206 | #8,220 | -0.2% |
| Count | 4,044 | 3,858 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.29 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pitchford bearers went from 4,044 to 3,858 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,206 to #8,220.
FAQ
Pitchford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pitchford?
Name Census estimates that about 4,424 living Americans carry the surname Pitchford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,476 residents.
How common is Pitchford?
Pitchford ranks #8,220 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 3,858 people with the surname Pitchford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,424), 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 Pitchford.
Has Pitchford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pitchford went from 4,044 recorded bearers to 3,858. That is a decrease of 186 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,206 to #8,220.
What does the Census say about the background of Pitchford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pitchford, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (25.9%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Pitchford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.0% (2,469 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pitchford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.0%), Black (25.9%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Pitchford (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 Pitchford mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Pitchford, a place in Shropshire, England, meaning "ford by a steep place." 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 Pitchford (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 many people have the last name Pitchford?
You can see how many people are called Pitchford on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.