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

Talford, 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 Talford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Talford in America

Talford is the 39212th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Talford surname appeared 561 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 Talford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Talford 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 Talford

The surname Talford is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. It is believed to have originated from a place name, likely a location in the southern or central regions of England.

One possible derivation of the name Talford is from the Old English words "tall" and "ford," suggesting it may have initially referred to a tall or elevated ford or river crossing. Alternatively, it could also be a combination of the elements "thal" (meaning valley or dell) and "ford," denoting a ford located in a valley or low-lying area.

Early records of the name Talford can be found in various historical documents, including the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire from the late 13th century, where it appears as "Taleford." The Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1260 also mention a "John de Taleford," providing evidence of the name's use during that period.

One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname Talford was William Talford, who lived in the county of Oxfordshire in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was John Talford, a prominent merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who was born around 1425 and died in 1501.

In the 16th century, the name Talford appeared in the parish records of Warwickshire, where a family bearing this surname resided in the village of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of the renowned playwright William Shakespeare. One of the Talford family members, Richard Talford (1530-1592), was a respected landowner and served as a churchwarden in Stratford.

Moving into the 17th century, a notable individual with the surname Talford was Sir John Talford (1610-1677), a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament who represented the borough of Wigan in Lancashire. He played a significant role in the English Civil War, initially supporting the Royalist cause before switching allegiances to the Parliamentarian side.

Another figure of historical significance was Elizabeth Talford (1720-1788), a highly respected educator and author from London. She founded one of the earliest schools for girls in the city and wrote several instructional books on subjects such as geography and arithmetic, which were widely used in educational institutions at the time.

Throughout history, the surname Talford has undergone various spelling variations, including Talford, Taleford, Taylford, and Tailford, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings in earlier times. While the name has maintained a presence in certain regions of England, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and dispersal of families over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Talford

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

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

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

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