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

Stanford, 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 Stanford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Stanford in America

Stanford is the 1692nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Stanford surname appeared 21,295 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Stanford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Stanford 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 Stanford

The surname Stanford has its origins in England and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "stan" meaning stone and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing, indicating that the name likely referred to someone living near a stony ford or river crossing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stanford can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.

The name Stanford is also linked to several place names in England, such as Stanford-le-Hope in Essex, Stanford in Bedfordshire, and Stanford-on-Teme in Worcestershire. These locations may have been named after early settlers with the surname Stanford, or the surname may have originated from these places.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Stanford was Sir Robert Stanford (c. 1300-1368), a prominent landowner and knight from Staffordshire. Another notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Stanford (c. 1350-1437), a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire.

During the Tudor period, Thomas Stanford (c. 1510-1565) served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire and was known for his involvement in religious reforms. In the 17th century, Sir William Stanford (1594-1658) was an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London.

In the 18th century, Charles Stanford (1705-1781) was an influential English composer and organist, best known for his contributions to church music. Another notable figure was Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924), an Irish composer and teacher who was instrumental in reviving the tradition of Anglican church music.

Other examples of notable individuals with the surname Stanford include Sir Walter Stanford (1854-1940), a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, and Sir Charles Stanford (1887-1957), a British businessman and philanthropist who played a significant role in the development of the British automotive industry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Stanford

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

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

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

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