Find out how popular the last name Retherford is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Retherford.

Retherford, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Retherford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Retherford in America

Retherford is the 15223rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Retherford surname appeared 1,934 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Retherford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Retherford to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Retherford

The surname Retherford is an English locational name that originated in the northern English counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. The name is derived from the Old English words "rether" meaning cattle and "ford" meaning a shallow crossing point over a river or stream. The name likely referred to a cattle ford or a location where cattle would cross over a body of water.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Retherford can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the 13th century, where a Robert de Rithreford is mentioned. The spelling variations during this time included Rithreford, Rythreford, and Rederford. The name was also documented in the Lancashire Inquests from 1310-1333, where the spelling Retherford appears.

In the 16th century, the Retherford name was concentrated in the parish of Burnley in Lancashire, where several families bearing the name lived. The Lancashire Musters of 1582 record a James Retherford and a Robert Retherford from Burnley. The Burnley parish registers also mention a John Retherford who was born in 1589.

During the 17th century, the name began to spread beyond Lancashire and Yorkshire. One notable individual was Edward Retherford, a puritan minister born in 1608 in Nottinghamshire. He later emigrated to New England and became the first minister of the town of Dedham, Massachusetts.

Another early bearer of the Retherford name was John Retherford, a Quaker from Yorkshire who was imprisoned in 1683 for his religious beliefs. He later emigrated to Pennsylvania and was one of the earliest settlers in the town of Byberry.

In the 18th century, the name Retherford appeared in various records across England. The parish records of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham mention the baptism of a Thomas Retherford in 1723. The Lancashire Wills from 1748-1858 also include several Retherford families.

As the name spread across England, it also began to appear in other parts of the British Isles. The Irish Landed Estates records from the 19th century mention a Retherford family who owned land in County Tyrone, Ireland. Additionally, the Scottish Census of 1841 records a few Retherford families living in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Retherford

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Retherford.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Retherford was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Retherford has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Retherford was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Retherford, please contact us.

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