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

Trafford, 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 Trafford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Trafford in America

Trafford is the 34618th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Trafford surname appeared 653 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 Trafford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Trafford 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 Trafford

The Trafford surname originated in England, specifically in the historic county of Lancashire. It dates back to the 11th century and the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The name is derived from the Old English words "trafford" or "trefort," which referred to a ford or crossing over a river or stream that had become a meeting place or trading post.

One of the earliest references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which records land holdings and manors across England. The entry mentions a place called "Trafford" in Lancashire, likely the origin of the surname.

The earliest recorded individual with the Trafford surname was Radulphus de Trafford, who lived in the 12th century and was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire in 1176. Another early bearer of the name was Thomas de Trafford, who was recorded in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246.

The Trafford family established themselves as landowners and lords of the manor in the village of Trafford, near Manchester. One notable member was Sir Edmund Trafford (1644-1719), who served as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire and was involved in the Jacobite Risings in support of the Catholic King James II.

During the English Civil War, John Trafford (1612-1683) held the manors of Trafford and Whittleswick and fought on the Royalist side. His son, Sir Humphrey Trafford (1637-1719), was a prominent Catholic landowner and was involved in the Jacobite cause, supporting the claim of James II's son, the Old Pretender, to the English throne.

Another notable figure was Sir Humphrey Trafford (1808-1886), a Conservative politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire and was also a Deputy Lieutenant of the county.

The Trafford name has also been associated with various place names in Lancashire, such as Trafford Park, an industrial estate in the borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, and the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford itself, which was established in 1974.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Trafford

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

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

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

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