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

Wolford, 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 Wolford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wolford in America

Wolford is the 3326th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wolford surname appeared 10,789 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Wolford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wolford 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 Wolford

The surname WOLFORD is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Woolford in the county of Warwickshire. The name is thought to have been formed from the Old English words "wulf" meaning wolf and "ford" referring to a shallow crossing point over a river.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1198, where a Richard de Wulvord is mentioned. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332 also list a John de Wolford, indicating the name's presence in the region during that time.

The WOLFORD name appears to have been well-established in Warwickshire, with several references to individuals bearing the name in various historical records from the area. For instance, the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1524 mention a William Wolford, while the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1670 list a Thomas Wolford residing in the village of Shustoke.

Notably, the WOLFORD surname is associated with a prominent family that owned land in the village of Wolford, near Coventry. One of the earliest recorded members of this family was Sir John de Wolford, who lived in the late 13th century and served as a knight during the reign of King Edward I.

Another notable figure was Sir Robert Wolford (c. 1390 - 1456), a Member of Parliament for Warwickshire and a distinguished soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was appointed Sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire in 1449.

In the 16th century, William Wolford (c. 1530 - 1594) gained recognition as an English clergyman and academic. He served as the Provost of Oriel College, Oxford, and was also a noted linguist and translator of Greek texts.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Colonel Edward Wolford (c. 1610 - 1670) was a prominent military commander who fought for the Parliamentarian forces. He played a crucial role in several battles, including the Siege of Oxford in 1646.

In the literary realm, Richard Wolford (1679 - 1729) was an English poet and playwright active in the early 18th century. His works included plays such as "The Tragedy of Sir Walter Raleigh" and poetic collections like "Poems on Several Occasions."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wolford

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

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

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

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