2000
#6,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,480
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Rare Last name
Forde
An Irish toponymic surname derived from a ford or river crossing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,964 Americans carry the last name Forde. That puts it at #6,294 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,471 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Forde 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Forde with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 57,471
Census rank
#6,294
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,201 bearers of the surname Forde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6294th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Forde, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.9%. The next largest groups are White (40.5%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Forde
The surname Forde is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word "ford," which means a shallow place where a river or stream can be crossed. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name for someone who lived near a ford or a crossing point over a river.
The name Forde can be traced back to the 11th century and is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "de la Forde," which appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1187.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Forde was particularly prominent in the counties of Somerset, Dorset, and Devon in the southwest of England. There are several place names in these counties that incorporate the word "ford," such as Bradford (broad ford), Sampford (sandy ford), and Radford (red ford).
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Forde was Sir John Forde (c. 1470-1542), an English soldier and courtier during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII. He served as Lord Privy Seal and was appointed Governor of the Isle of Wight in 1536.
Another notable bearer of the name was Edward Forde (1765-1770), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the capture of Fort St. David and the French settlement of Pondicherry during the Seven Years' War in India.
In the literary world, the surname Forde is associated with Charles Forde (1897-1979), an Irish-born poet and playwright who was a member of the Irish literary renaissance movement in the early 20th century.
The name Forde has also been connected to the automotive industry through Henry Ford (1863-1947), the American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company. Although his surname is spelled differently, it is believed to have originated from the same Old English root word "ford."
Another prominent figure with the surname Forde was Samuel Forde (1805-1828), an English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club and is considered one of the earliest professional cricketers in the game's history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Forde
Among Census respondents with the surname Forde, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.9%. The next largest groups are White (40.5%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Forde 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 Forde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.9% · 2,489
- White40.5% · 2,104
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 313
- Two or more races4.6% · 239
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Forde
Forde 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
#6,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,031
+551 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Up 192 places
2020
#6,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,201
+170 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Up 419 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,905 | 4,480 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,713 | 5,031 | 1.71 | +551 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 192 places |
| 2020 | #6,294 | 5,201 | 1.74 | +170 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 419 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 Forde 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 | #6,713 | #6,294 | 6.2% |
| Count | 5,031 | 5,201 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.74 | 1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Forde bearers went from 5,031 to 5,201 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 419 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,713 to #6,294.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Forde
FAQ
Forde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Forde?
Name Census estimates that about 5,964 living Americans carry the surname Forde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,471 residents.
How common is Forde?
Forde ranks #6,294 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,201 people with the surname Forde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,964), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Forde.
Has Forde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Forde went from 5,031 recorded bearers to 5,201. That is an increase of 170 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,713 to #6,294.
What does the Census say about the background of Forde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Forde, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.9%. The next largest groups are White (40.5%) and Hispanic (6.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Forde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.9% (2,489 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Forde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (47.9%), White (40.5%), Hispanic (6.0%). 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 Forde (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 Forde mean?
An Irish toponymic surname derived from a ford or river crossing. 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 Forde (1.74 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 have the surname Forde?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.