2000
#12,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,169
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Raiford
Derived from a place name meaning "reed ford" in Old English, referring to a ford crossed by reed plants.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,464 Americans carry the last name Raiford. That puts it at #13,522 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,105 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raiford 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
2.5K
1 in 139,105
Census rank
#13,522
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,149 bearers of the surname Raiford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13522nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raiford, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Black (44.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raiford
The surname Raiford is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from a place name, which was a common practice for the development of surnames in that era. One possible origin is the Old English words "ræd" meaning "red" and "ford" meaning "a shallow river crossing," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone living near a ford or river crossing with reddish-colored water or soil.
Another theory suggests that Raiford could be a variation of the place name Radford, which is found in several locations across England, including Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, and Oxfordshire. Radford itself is derived from the Old English words "rad" meaning "road" and "ford," indicating a ford or river crossing along a main road.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Raiford surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from the late 12th century, where a person named Gilbertus de Radeford is mentioned. This entry provides evidence that the name was in use during the late 12th or early 13th century.
In the 14th century, records show a Robert de Rayford living in Wiltshire, England. This spelling variation further supports the connection to the place name Radford or a similar location.
Notable individuals with the surname Raiford include Sir William Raiford, a member of the English gentry who lived in Worcestershire in the late 16th century. Another figure was John Raiford, a prominent merchant and landowner in the American colony of Virginia in the 17th century.
During the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Reverend Thomas Raiford, an English clergyman and author who published several religious works in the 1720s and 1730s.
In the 19th century, James Raiford was a successful entrepreneur and industrialist based in Birmingham, England, known for his innovations in the manufacturing of metal products.
While the surname Raiford is not exceptionally common, it has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its origins rooted in the place names and geographical features of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raiford
Among Census respondents with the surname Raiford, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Black (44.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Raiford 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 Raiford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.8% · 1,028
- Black or African American44.9% · 965
- Two or more races4.0% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raiford
Raiford 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
#13,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,304
+135 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 290 places
2020
#13,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,149
-155 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 271 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,961 | 2,169 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,251 | 2,304 | 0.78 | +135 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 290 places |
| 2020 | #13,522 | 2,149 | 0.72 | -155 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 271 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 Raiford 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 | #13,251 | #13,522 | -2.0% |
| Count | 2,304 | 2,149 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.72 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raiford bearers went from 2,304 to 2,149 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 271 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,251 to #13,522.
FAQ
Raiford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raiford?
Name Census estimates that about 2,464 living Americans carry the surname Raiford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,105 residents.
How common is Raiford?
Raiford ranks #13,522 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,149 people with the surname Raiford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,464), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Raiford.
Has Raiford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raiford went from 2,304 recorded bearers to 2,149. That is a decrease of 155 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,251 to #13,522.
What does the Census say about the background of Raiford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raiford, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Black (44.9%) and Two or More Races (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 Raiford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.8% (1,028 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raiford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.8%), Black (44.9%), Two or More Races (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 Raiford (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 Raiford mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "reed ford" in Old English, referring to a ford crossed by reed plants. 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 Raiford (0.72 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 common is the surname Raiford?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Raiford on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.