2000
#3,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,738
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.98
Uncommon Last name
Wolford
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "ford frequented by wolves."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,807 Americans carry the last name Wolford. That puts it at #3,395 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,030 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wolford 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
12K
1 in 29,030
Census rank
#3,395
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,296 bearers of the surname Wolford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3395th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolford, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wolford
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolford, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wolford 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 Wolford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 9,130
- Two or more races3.9% · 406
- Black or African American3.4% · 347
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 268
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 119
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wolford
Wolford 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
#3,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,789
+51 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 3.66
Rank movement Down 230 places
2020
#3,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,296
-493 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 3.44
Rank movement Down 69 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,096 | 10,738 | 3.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,326 | 10,789 | 3.66 | +51 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 230 places |
| 2020 | #3,395 | 10,296 | 3.44 | -493 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 69 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 Wolford 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 | #3,326 | #3,395 | -2.1% |
| Count | 10,789 | 10,296 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.66 | 3.44 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wolford bearers went from 10,789 to 10,296 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 69 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,326 to #3,395.
FAQ
Wolford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wolford?
Name Census estimates that about 11,807 living Americans carry the surname Wolford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,030 residents.
How common is Wolford?
Wolford ranks #3,395 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.44 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 10,296 people with the surname Wolford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,807), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.44 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 Wolford.
Has Wolford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wolford went from 10,789 recorded bearers to 10,296. That is a decrease of 493 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,326 to #3,395.
What does the Census say about the background of Wolford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolford, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.4%). 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 Wolford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (9,130 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wolford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Black (3.4%). 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 Wolford (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 Wolford mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "ford frequented by wolves." 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 Wolford (3.44 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 are called Wolford?
See how common the surname Wolford is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.