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

Rochford, 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 Rochford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rochford in America

Rochford is the 16284th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rochford surname appeared 1,771 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 Rochford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rochford 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 Rochford

The surname Rochford originated in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the place name Rochford, which is located in Essex, England. The place name itself is derived from the Old English words "roc" meaning "rock" and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing.

Rochford was first recorded as a surname in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a record of landowners and tenants in England. The earliest recorded spelling of the surname was "de Rochefort," which was the Norman French form of the name.

In the 13th century, the name was also recorded as "Rokesford" and "Rokesforde," which were variations of the original spelling. The name was commonly found in Essex and surrounding areas, where the Rochford family held land and property.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Rochford was Sir Ralph de Rochford, who lived in the 13th century and served as a knight during the reign of King Edward I. Another notable person with this surname was John de Rochford, who was a member of the English Parliament in the 14th century.

In the 15th century, the Rochford family gained prominence when Sir Thomas Rochford became a close advisor to King Henry VIII. His daughter, Jane Rochford, was a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn and was later implicated in the charges that led to Anne's execution.

Other notable individuals with the surname Rochford include William Rochford (1605-1675), an English writer and translator, and John Rochford (1769-1840), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.

The surname Rochford has also been associated with various place names, such as Rochford Hall in Essex and Rochford Hundred, which was an administrative division in medieval England. The name continues to be found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Essex and Suffolk.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rochford

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

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 Rochford 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 Rochford 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 Rochford was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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