Explore the Family Name Byford

The meaning of Byford

English (Essex and Sussex): habitational name from Byford, Herefordshire. The name is derived from Old English byge ‘bend’ + ford ‘ford’. Alternatively, a topographic name for someone who lived by a ford, from Middle English by ‘by, beside’ + ford.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Byford showed a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 20,778, but by 2010, it had dropped to 20,057, showing a change of -1.34%. Despite this, the count of individuals with the surname increased from 1,182 in 2000 to 1,248 in 2010, indicating a growth of 5.58%. The proportion per 100k also fell slightly from 0.44 in 2000 to 0.42 in 2010, presenting a change of -4.55%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#20,778	#21,057	-1.34%
Count	1,182	1,248	5.58%
Proportion per 100k	0.44	0.42	-4.55%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Byford

The data from the Decennial U.S. Census also offers insight into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Byford. In both 2000 and 2010, the predominant ethnicity was White, which accounted for 90.44% and 90.30% respectively, showing a minimal change of -0.15%. The percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic saw an increase from 1.78% to 2.48%, marking a 39.33% change. Conversely, those identifying as two or more races decreased from 1.78% to 1.60%, a change of -10.11%. The Black category saw a slight increase from 3.98% to 4.01%. However, no data is available for Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories for 2010, as the information was suppressed for privacy reasons.

	2000	2010	Change
White	90.44%	90.3%	-0.15%
Black	3.98%	4.01%	0.75%
Hispanic	1.78%	2.48%	39.33%
Two or More Races	1.78%	1.6%	-10.11%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	2.03%	0%	0%