2000
#14,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,856
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Retherford
Derived from a place name meaning "cattle ford" in Old English, referring to a shallow river crossing for cattle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,111 Americans carry the last name Retherford. That puts it at #15,346 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,366 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Retherford 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
2.1K
1 in 162,366
Census rank
#15,346
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,841 bearers of the surname Retherford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15346th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Retherford, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Retherford
Among Census respondents with the surname Retherford, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Retherford 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 Retherford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 1,688
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 60
- Two or more races2.9% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Retherford
Retherford 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
#15,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,934
+78 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 534 places
2020
#15,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,841
-93 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 123 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,689 | 1,856 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,223 | 1,934 | 0.66 | +78 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 534 places |
| 2020 | #15,346 | 1,841 | 0.62 | -93 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 123 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 Retherford 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 | #15,223 | #15,346 | -0.8% |
| Count | 1,934 | 1,841 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.62 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Retherford bearers went from 1,934 to 1,841 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 123 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,223 to #15,346.
FAQ
Retherford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Retherford?
Name Census estimates that about 2,111 living Americans carry the surname Retherford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,366 residents.
How common is Retherford?
Retherford ranks #15,346 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,841 people with the surname Retherford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Retherford.
Has Retherford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Retherford went from 1,934 recorded bearers to 1,841. That is a decrease of 93 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,223 to #15,346.
What does the Census say about the background of Retherford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Retherford, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Retherford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (1,688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Retherford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Retherford (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 Retherford mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "cattle ford" in Old English, referring to a shallow river crossing for cattle. 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 Retherford (0.62 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 Retherford?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Retherford is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.