2000
#1,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,610
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.64
Uncommon Last name
Stanford
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "stone ford," referring to a stone-paved river crossing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,301 Americans carry the last name Stanford. That puts it at #1,726 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,710 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stanford 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 Stanford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,710
Census rank
#1,726
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,320 bearers of the surname Stanford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1726th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stanford, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stanford
Among Census respondents with the surname Stanford, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Stanford 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 Stanford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.6% · 13,941
- Black or African American22.2% · 4,505
- Two or more races4.4% · 896
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 726
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 158
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 94
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stanford
Stanford 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
#1,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,295
+685 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 7.22
Rank movement Down 91 places
2020
#1,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,320
-975 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 6.80
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,601 | 20,610 | 7.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,692 | 21,295 | 7.22 | +685 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 91 places |
| 2020 | #1,726 | 20,320 | 6.80 | -975 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 34 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 Stanford 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 | #1,692 | #1,726 | -2.0% |
| Count | 21,295 | 20,320 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 7.22 | 6.80 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stanford bearers went from 21,295 to 20,320 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,692 to #1,726.
FAQ
Stanford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stanford?
Name Census estimates that about 23,301 living Americans carry the surname Stanford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,710 residents.
How common is Stanford?
Stanford ranks #1,726 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,320 people with the surname Stanford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,301), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Stanford.
Has Stanford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stanford went from 21,295 recorded bearers to 20,320. That is a decrease of 975 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,692 to #1,726.
What does the Census say about the background of Stanford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stanford, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.2%) 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 Stanford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (13,941 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stanford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.6%), Black (22.2%), 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 Stanford (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 Stanford mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "stone ford," referring to a stone-paved river crossing. 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 Stanford (6.80 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 Stanford?
Find out how many people have the last name Stanford on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.