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

Tilford, 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 Tilford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tilford in America

Tilford is the 16868th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tilford surname appeared 1,690 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tilford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tilford 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 Tilford

The surname Tilford has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the place name Tilford, a village in Surrey. The name Tilford is thought to come from the Old English words "til" meaning "tile" or "brick," and "ford," referring to a shallow river crossing or ford.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of lands and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries mentioning Tilford as a settlement. One such entry reads "William de Ow holds Tilford of the King." This suggests that the name was already well-established in the area by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Tilford was John de Tilford, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Surrey in 1230. Another early bearer of the name was Robert de Tyleford, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.

During the 14th century, the surname Tilford began to appear in various spellings, such as Tyleford, Tylford, and Tilleford, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.

Sir John Tilford (c. 1360-1420) was a prominent figure during the reign of King Henry IV. He served as a Member of Parliament for Surrey and was knighted for his military service in the Hundred Years' War against France.

Another notable individual with the surname was Thomas Tilford (1572-1633), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Rochester from 1629 until his death.

In the 17th century, William Tilford (1620-1677) was a prominent merchant and landowner in Virginia, USA. He played a significant role in the early development of the colony and served as a justice of the peace and a member of the House of Burgesses.

During the 18th century, James Tilford (1736-1818) was a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He commanded a company of the Queen's Rangers, a loyalist provincial regiment, and was captured by Continental forces at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.

One of the most notable bearers of the Tilford name in more recent history was Sir John Tilford (1843-1923), a British businessman and philanthropist. He made his fortune in the textile industry and became a prominent figure in Manchester, where he served as the Lord Mayor and contributed significantly to various charitable causes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tilford

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

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

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

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