2000
#9,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,270
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Tedford
A locational surname derived from places in England meaning "Tēda's ford," referring to a river crossing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,581 Americans carry the last name Tedford. That puts it at #9,879 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,715 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tedford 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 Tedford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,715
Census rank
#9,879
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,123 bearers of the surname Tedford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9879th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tedford, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tedford
The surname Tedford has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "tud" meaning a protruding piece of land and "ford" meaning a shallow place where a river can be crossed. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a river crossing or a protruding piece of land by a ford.
The earliest known record of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it is spelled as "Tudeford." This spelling variation suggests that the name was originally pronounced with a hard "t" sound at the beginning, rather than the softer "Ted" sound we hear today.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across southern England, particularly in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. This indicates that the name was initially concentrated in this region, likely due to the presence of suitable geographical features that gave rise to the name.
One notable early bearer of the name was John Tedford, who was recorded in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1348. This suggests that the name had begun to spread beyond its original southern English heartland by the mid-14th century.
Another historical figure with the Tedford surname was William Tedford, a land-owning farmer mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1427. This record provides evidence of the name's continued presence in the region where it is believed to have originated.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the parish records of several villages in Wiltshire, including Tedworth, which may have derived its name from a similar Old English root as the Tedford surname. This connection suggests a potential link between the name and specific place names in the area.
One of the earliest known instances of the Tedford name in North America dates back to the late 17th century, when Thomas Tedford, born in 1665, emigrated from England to Maryland. This highlights the early spread of the name across the Atlantic as part of the English colonization of the Americas.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Tedford surname, including:
1. Sir John Tedford (1492-1558), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire.
2. Elizabeth Tedford (1619-1686), one of the first English settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
3. William Tedford (1732-1804), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
4. James Tedford (1815-1892), an Irish-born author and journalist who wrote extensively about the American Civil War.
5. Mary Tedford (1864-1941), a pioneering American educator and advocate for women's rights.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tedford
Among Census respondents with the surname Tedford, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tedford 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 Tedford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 2,623
- Black or African American8.3% · 260
- Two or more races3.8% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tedford
Tedford 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
#9,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,354
+84 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 510 places
2020
#9,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,123
-231 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 200 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,169 | 3,270 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,679 | 3,354 | 1.14 | +84 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 510 places |
| 2020 | #9,879 | 3,123 | 1.04 | -231 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 200 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 Tedford 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 | #9,679 | #9,879 | -2.1% |
| Count | 3,354 | 3,123 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.04 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tedford bearers went from 3,354 to 3,123 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 200 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,679 to #9,879.
FAQ
Tedford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tedford?
Name Census estimates that about 3,581 living Americans carry the surname Tedford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,715 residents.
How common is Tedford?
Tedford ranks #9,879 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,123 people with the surname Tedford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,581), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Tedford.
Has Tedford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tedford went from 3,354 recorded bearers to 3,123. That is a decrease of 231 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,679 to #9,879.
What does the Census say about the background of Tedford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tedford, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Tedford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (2,623 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tedford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Black (8.3%), Two or More Races (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 Tedford (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 Tedford mean?
A locational surname derived from places in England meaning "Tēda's ford," referring to a 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 Tedford (1.04 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 Americans have the surname Tedford?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.