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

Rockford, 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 Rockford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rockford in America

Rockford is the 48160th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rockford surname appeared 439 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rockford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rockford 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 Rockford

The surname Rockford is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "rocc" meaning rock or rocky outcrop, and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing or ford. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a rocky ford or crossing over a river.

The name Rockford can be found in various historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1182, where a person named Walter de Rocheford is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1203, which mentions a Robert de Rochefford.

One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Sir Ralph de Rochford, who lived during the reign of King Edward I (1272-1307). He was a notable knight and landowner in Essex.

In the 14th century, there are records of a John de Rocheford who served as the Sheriff of Oxfordshire and Berkshire in 1337. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Rochford, who lived during the 15th century and was a courtier to King Henry VIII.

During the Tudor period, the surname gained prominence with the rise of Jane Rochford, the wife of George Boleyn and sister-in-law of Anne Boleyn. Jane Rochford played a significant role in the downfall of Anne Boleyn and was later executed in 1542.

Other notable individuals with the surname Rockford include Sir John Rochford (1472-1544), who served as the Lord Privy Seal under King Henry VIII, and Sir Edward Rockford (1568-1630), a Member of Parliament during the reign of King James I.

Throughout its history, the surname Rockford has undergone various spelling variations, such as Rocheford, Rochefford, Rochford, and Rockford, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rockford

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

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

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

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