2000
#9,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,241
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Safford
Derived from a place name meaning "sandy ford" in Old English, referring to a shallow river crossing with a sandy bed.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,336 Americans carry the last name Safford. That puts it at #10,522 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Safford 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Safford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 102,744
Census rank
#10,522
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,909 bearers of the surname Safford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10522nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Safford, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Safford
The surname Safford is of English origin, believed to have derived from the place name Salford, a town located in Greater Manchester, England. The name Salford is thought to come from the Old English words "salh" meaning "willow" and "ford" referring to a shallow crossing point across a river or stream.
Salford, as a place name, dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. The town's name was recorded as "Salford" in this historical document.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Safford was William de Salford, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls for Lancashire in 1246. The name was initially spelled in various ways, such as Salforth, Salford, and Saleford, before eventually settling on the more modern spelling of Safford.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named John Safford was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls for Staffordshire in 1327. This record suggests that the surname had spread beyond its original northern roots by this time.
During the 16th century, a prominent individual named Thomas Safford (born circa 1530) was a member of the English gentry and owned land in Shropshire. His descendants continued to hold prominent positions in the region for several generations.
Another notable bearer of the Safford surname was Sir John Safford (1588-1663), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shropshire during the reign of King Charles I.
In the 18th century, a clergyman named Samuel Safford (1738-1807) gained recognition for his work as a Baptist minister and author in Massachusetts, United States. He published several theological works and was influential in the early Baptist movement in New England.
While the surname Safford has its roots in England, it has also been present in other parts of the world, particularly in North America, where many individuals bearing this name have made significant contributions in various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Safford
Among Census respondents with the surname Safford, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Safford 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 Safford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.1% · 1,980
- Black or African American23.3% · 677
- Two or more races4.4% · 128
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Safford
Safford 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
#10,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,148
-93 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 985 places
2020
#10,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,909
-239 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 285 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,252 | 3,241 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,237 | 3,148 | 1.07 | -93 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 985 places |
| 2020 | #10,522 | 2,909 | 0.97 | -239 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 285 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 Safford 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 | #10,237 | #10,522 | -2.8% |
| Count | 3,148 | 2,909 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.97 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Safford bearers went from 3,148 to 2,909 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 285 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,237 to #10,522.
FAQ
Safford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Safford?
Name Census estimates that about 3,336 living Americans carry the surname Safford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,744 residents.
How common is Safford?
Safford ranks #10,522 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,909 people with the surname Safford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,336), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Safford.
Has Safford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Safford went from 3,148 recorded bearers to 2,909. That is a decrease of 239 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,237 to #10,522.
What does the Census say about the background of Safford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Safford, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Safford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.1% (1,980 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Safford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.1%), Black (23.3%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Safford (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 Safford mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "sandy ford" in Old English, referring to a shallow river crossing with a sandy bed. 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 Safford (0.97 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 Safford?
You can see how common the surname Safford is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.