2000
#4,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,080
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.00
Rare Last name
Williford
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Williford in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,918 Americans carry the last name Williford. That puts it at #4,426 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,434 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Williford 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.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,434
Census rank
#4,426
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,777 bearers of the surname Williford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4426th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Williford, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Williford
The surname Williford is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that was likely made up of Old English personal name elements such as "Will" or "Willi" combined with the word "ford," meaning a shallow river crossing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Willfrid holding estates in Nottinghamshire. This suggests that the name may have emerged from this region in the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, there are records of individuals with the surname Williford residing in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Gloucestershire. The name appeared with various spellings, such as Wilford, Wylford, and Wylliford, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.
One notable individual bearing the name was Sir John Williford, a landowner and member of the gentry in Warwickshire during the 14th century. He was recorded as a participant in the Battle of Crécy in 1346 during the Hundred Years' War.
Another prominent figure was William Williford, a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol in the late 15th century. He was known for his involvement in the wool trade and his philanthropic contributions to the city.
In the 16th century, the Williford family established roots in Devonshire, where they held estates and played a role in local affairs. One member of this branch, Thomas Williford (1525-1596), served as a magistrate and was known for his strict enforcement of Elizabethan laws against religious nonconformists.
As the centuries passed, the Williford surname spread across various regions of England, with some branches eventually making their way to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. The name has been associated with a number of notable individuals throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence in the English-speaking world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Williford
Among Census respondents with the surname Williford, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Williford 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 Williford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 5,994
- Black or African American15.0% · 1,163
- Two or more races4.2% · 326
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 194
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Williford
Williford 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
#4,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,352
+272 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.83
Rank movement Down 210 places
2020
#4,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,777
-575 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 2.60
Rank movement Down 178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,038 | 8,080 | 3.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,248 | 8,352 | 2.83 | +272 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 210 places |
| 2020 | #4,426 | 7,777 | 2.60 | -575 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 178 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 Williford 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 | #4,248 | #4,426 | -4.2% |
| Count | 8,352 | 7,777 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.83 | 2.60 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Williford bearers went from 8,352 to 7,777 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 178 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,248 to #4,426.
FAQ
Williford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Williford?
Name Census estimates that about 8,918 living Americans carry the surname Williford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,434 residents.
How common is Williford?
Williford ranks #4,426 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,777 people with the surname Williford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,918), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Williford.
Has Williford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Williford went from 8,352 recorded bearers to 7,777. That is a decrease of 575 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,248 to #4,426.
What does the Census say about the background of Williford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Williford, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Williford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (5,994 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Williford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Black (15.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Williford (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 Williford mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Williford in England. 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 Williford (2.60 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 people share the surname Williford?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.