Explore the Family Name Bamford

The meaning of Bamford

English: habitational name from any of various places (the two main ones being in Derbyshire and Lancashire) named with Old English bēam ‘tree, beam’ + ford ‘ford’, i.e. a ford beside a plank bridge for those who wished to keep their feet dry.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Bamford in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Bamford has seen a slight decrease in its popularity rank from 2000 to 2010, moving from 14,335 to 15,246, a decline of approximately 6.36%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals bearing the surname Bamford increased slightly by 0.68%, with 1,929 people bearing the name in 2010 compared to 1,916 in 2000. The proportion per 100k also dipped slightly by around 8.45%.

20002010Change
Rank#14,335#15,246-6.36%
Count1,9161,9290.68%
Proportion per 100k0.710.65-8.45%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bamford

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Bamford shows some interesting changes between 2000 and 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. While the majority of the individuals with this surname identify as White (94.35% in 2010), there is a slight decrease of 1.81% from the year 2000. On the other hand, the percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander more than doubled, rising from 0.57% to 1.19%. Similarly, the proportion of individuals of two or more races increased by 69.23%. A small rise was also seen in those identifying as Hispanic, with an increase of 10.64%. However, it's worth mentioning that the proportions for Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native were suppressed for privacy reasons in the 2010 census.

20002010Change
White96.09%94.35%-1.81%
Two or More Races1.04%1.76%69.23%
Hispanic1.41%1.56%10.64%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.57%1.19%108.77%
Black0.26%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.63%0%0%

Bamford ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Bamford is British & Irish, which comprises 57.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.6%) and Scandinavian (4.7%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Eastern European, Greek & Balkan, and Southern Indian & Sri Lankan.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish57.9%
French & German20.6%
Scandinavian4.7%
Other16.7%
Bamford

Possible origins of the surname Bamford

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Bamford have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Merseyside, United Kingdom88.00%
Greater London, United Kingdom88.00%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom88.00%
West Midlands, United Kingdom88.00%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom88.00%

What Bamford haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Bamford is I-M253, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-M253 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include I-F2642 and I-Y6900, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Pine, Billington, Lawson, Bartholomew, Fields, Ebner, Whitehead, Wild, Wilde, Winslow.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Bamford surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

bamfordPaternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the people of Doggerland

One of the places that was repopulated as the Ice Age waned no longer exists. During the Ice Age and for some time afterward, lower sea levels exposed much of the area that is now covered by the North Sea. Known as "Doggerland," the region must have been occupied by men bearing haplogroup I, because today it is abundant in all of the countries surrounding the North Sea.As the meltwaters of the retreating Ice Age glaciers caused sea levels to rise, the low-lying forests and wetlands of Doggerland gradually became inundated. The inhabitants of Doggerland retreated to the higher ground that is now the North Sea coast. I-M253 is especially common today in Scandinavia — it reaches levels of 33% in Denmark and Sweden — and is somewhat common in England, Germany and the Netherlands, where it is found in about 15% of men.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Bamford have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Bamford

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Bamford" Surname 60.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Bamford

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Bamford" Surname 21.7%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Bamford

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Bamford" Surname 24.1%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Bamford

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Bamford" Surname 19.6%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Bamford?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Bamford are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%