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

Walford, 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 Walford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Walford in America

Walford is the 29334th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Walford surname appeared 806 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 Walford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Walford 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 Walford

The surname Walford originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "wald" meaning a wood or grove, and "ford" referring to a shallow crossing point of a river or stream. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who resided near a wooded ford or crossing.

Walford as a place name can be found recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Entries for villages named Walford are listed in several counties, including Somerset, Herefordshire, and Shropshire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Walford was Robert de Walford, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1189. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Treasury.

During the 13th century, a family by the name of Walford held lands in the parish of Rushbury in Shropshire. Thomas de Walford, born around 1250, was recorded as the lord of the manor of Walford in Rushbury during this time.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Walforde, Waleforde, and Walforde. John Walforde, born circa 1320, was a member of the gentry class and held lands in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

Transitioning into the Renaissance period, Sir Thomas Walford (1504-1578) was a notable figure. He served as the Sheriff of Shropshire in 1547 and was a Member of Parliament for Shropshire in 1559.

Another prominent individual was Sir Knighton Walford (1570-1638), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Shropshire in the early 17th century. He was knighted by King James I in 1603.

Moving into the 18th century, Edward Walford (1725-1797) was an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Winkfield in Berkshire. He published several works on theology and history during his lifetime.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Walford

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

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

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

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