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

Weatherford, 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 Weatherford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Weatherford in America

Weatherford is the 4016th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Weatherford surname appeared 8,850 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Weatherford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Weatherford 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 Weatherford

The surname Weatherford originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. It is derived from the Old English words "weder," meaning weather or storm, and "ford," referring to a shallow river crossing or ford. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a ford susceptible to inclement weather conditions.

The earliest recorded instances of the Weatherford surname can be traced back to the late 13th century. A John de Wethereford was mentioned in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1285, while a Richard de Wetherford appeared in the Cheshire County Court Rolls of 1292. These early spellings highlight the variations in the name's spelling over time.

In the late 16th century, the Weatherfords were recorded as landowners in the village of Wilmslow, Cheshire. A notable member of this family was John Weatherford (1537-1611), a wealthy yeoman farmer and church warden in Wilmslow.

During the English Civil War (1642-1651), a Captain William Weatherford (1620-1689) fought on the Parliamentarian side and was known for his bravery in battle. He later settled in Staffordshire and his descendants continued to use the Weatherford surname.

In the 18th century, the surname spread across England and Scotland, with several notable figures emerging. Robert Weatherford (1736-1819) was a successful merchant in Glasgow, while James Weatherford (1758-1842) was a prominent politician and magistrate in Northumberland.

One of the most famous individuals with the Weatherford surname was William Weatherford (1781-1824), also known as Red Eagle, a Creek Native American leader who played a significant role in the Creek War (1813-1814) against the United States. Despite initially leading Creek warriors against American forces, he later surrendered and advocated for peace between the Creek and the United States.

Other notable Weatherfords include Sir Edward Weatherford (1801-1878), a British diplomat who served as ambassador to several European countries, and George Weatherford (1854-1932), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Weatherford Foundation in Oklahoma.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Weatherford

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

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

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

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