2000
#7,332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,186
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Rayford
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "rye ford" or "ford on a rye field."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,030 Americans carry the last name Rayford. That puts it at #7,325 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,142 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rayford 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
5.0K
1 in 68,142
Census rank
#7,325
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,386 bearers of the surname Rayford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7325th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rayford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.8%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rayford
The surname RAYFORD is of English origin and is believed to have originated in the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "ræd" meaning "advice" or "counsel" and "ford" meaning a shallow place where a river or stream can be crossed. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a place where people would gather to seek advice or counsel, perhaps near a ford or river crossing.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property ownership across England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, there are references to a place called "Radford" in Nottinghamshire, which may have been the origin of the surname.
The RAYFORD name can also be traced back to various places in England, such as Radford in Oxfordshire, Radford in Warwickshire, and Radford in Nottinghamshire. These place names may have been derived from the same Old English roots as the surname.
Some notable individuals with the surname RAYFORD include:
1. John RAYFORD (c. 1550-1625), an English composer and musician during the Renaissance period.
2. William RAYFORD (1670-1738), a English colonist and landowner in Virginia, USA.
3. Elizabeth RAYFORD (1725-1802), a British author and poet known for her collections of poetry published in the 18th century.
4. Charles RAYFORD (1820-1890), an English explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in Africa and wrote several books about his expeditions.
5. Mary RAYFORD (1875-1958), an American educator and civil rights activist who fought for equal educational opportunities for African American students in the early 20th century.
While the RAYFORD surname has undergone various spellings over the centuries, including Radford, Redeford, and Redford, its origins can be traced back to the historical regions of England where it first emerged and gained prominence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rayford
Among Census respondents with the surname Rayford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.8%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rayford 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 Rayford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.8% · 3,586
- White8.8% · 385
- Two or more races5.9% · 260
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 139
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rayford
Rayford 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
#7,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,584
+398 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Up 62 places
2020
#7,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,386
-198 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,332 | 4,186 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,270 | 4,584 | 1.55 | +398 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 62 places |
| 2020 | #7,325 | 4,386 | 1.47 | -198 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 55 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 Rayford 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 | #7,270 | #7,325 | -0.8% |
| Count | 4,584 | 4,386 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.47 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rayford bearers went from 4,584 to 4,386 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,270 to #7,325.
FAQ
Rayford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rayford?
Name Census estimates that about 5,030 living Americans carry the surname Rayford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,142 residents.
How common is Rayford?
Rayford ranks #7,325 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 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 4,386 people with the surname Rayford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,030), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 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 Rayford.
Has Rayford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rayford went from 4,584 recorded bearers to 4,386. That is a decrease of 198 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,270 to #7,325.
What does the Census say about the background of Rayford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rayford, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.8%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rayford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (3,586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rayford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (81.8%), White (8.8%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Rayford (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 Rayford mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "rye ford" or "ford on a rye field." 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 Rayford (1.47 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 Rayford?
Find out how many people have the surname Rayford on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.