2000
#10,678
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,748
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Sandefur
An English occupational surname referring to a person who sands or smooths wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,003 Americans carry the last name Sandefur. That puts it at #11,494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,137 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sandefur 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
3.0K
1 in 114,137
Census rank
#11,494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,619 bearers of the surname Sandefur in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandefur, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Black (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sandefur
The surname Sandefur has its origins in England, emerging during the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place called Sandford or Sandiford, with the latter part of the name, "fur," likely being a modification of the Old English word "ford," which refers to a shallow crossing or a ford over a river.
Records indicate that the name was first documented in the late 13th century, with one of the earliest known references appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, which mentions a person named William de Sandeford. This suggests that the name may have originated from a specific location called Sandford or Sandiford within the county of Cambridgeshire.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Sandeford, Sandyforth, and Sandyfurth, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One notable individual bearing this name was John de Sandeforde, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1327.
As the centuries progressed, the surname continued to evolve, with different branches of the family adopting slightly different spellings. Some notable individuals with the surname Sandefur include:
1. William Sandefur (c. 1580 - 1645), an English landowner and member of the gentry in Warwickshire.
2. Thomas Sandefur (1620 - 1687), a merchant and trader from London who established trade connections with the American colonies.
3. Elizabeth Sandefur (1755 - 1822), a writer and poet from Gloucestershire, known for her collection of romantic verses published in 1795.
4. James Sandefur (1810 - 1879), a prominent industrialist and entrepreneur from Manchester, who established several textile mills in the region.
5. Emily Sandefur (1875 - 1944), an educator and philanthropist from Yorkshire, who founded several schools for underprivileged children in the early 20th century.
While the surname Sandefur may have originated from a specific geographic location, it has since spread across various regions of England and beyond, carried by families and individuals who have contributed to various aspects of society throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sandefur
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandefur, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Black (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sandefur 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 Sandefur surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 2,280
- Two or more races4.8% · 126
- Black or African American3.8% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sandefur
Sandefur 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
#11,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,881
+133 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 357 places
2020
#11,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,619
-262 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 459 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,678 | 2,748 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,035 | 2,881 | 0.98 | +133 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 357 places |
| 2020 | #11,494 | 2,619 | 0.88 | -262 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 459 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 Sandefur 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 | #11,035 | #11,494 | -4.2% |
| Count | 2,881 | 2,619 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.88 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sandefur bearers went from 2,881 to 2,619 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 459 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,035 to #11,494.
FAQ
Sandefur surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sandefur?
Name Census estimates that about 3,003 living Americans carry the surname Sandefur. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,137 residents.
How common is Sandefur?
Sandefur ranks #11,494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,619 people with the surname Sandefur. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,003), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Sandefur.
Has Sandefur become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sandefur went from 2,881 recorded bearers to 2,619. That is a decrease of 262 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,035 to #11,494.
What does the Census say about the background of Sandefur?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandefur, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Black (3.8%). 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 Sandefur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (2,280 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sandefur appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Black (3.8%). 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 Sandefur (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 Sandefur mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who sands or smooths wood. 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 Sandefur (0.88 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 share the surname Sandefur?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.