2000
#13,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Lunceford
Derived from a place name meaning "long ford," referring to a settlement near a river crossing in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,414 Americans carry the last name Lunceford. That puts it at #13,760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,986 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lunceford 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
2.4K
1 in 141,986
Census rank
#13,760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,105 bearers of the surname Lunceford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunceford, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lunceford
The surname Lunceford is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "lund" and "ford," with "lund" referring to a small hill or grove, and "ford" meaning a shallow crossing point over a river or stream. Thus, the name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a hillock by a ford.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lunceford name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Lundesford." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century and may have been borne by individuals residing in areas with similar topographical features.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as "Lundesford," "Lundisford," and "Lundisforth." These variations reflect the fluid nature of English orthography during that period and the regional dialects that influenced the pronunciation and spelling of names.
Notable individuals bearing the Lunceford surname include:
1. Jimmie Lunceford (1902-1947), an American jazz saxophonist and bandleader, known for his innovative arrangements and the distinctive "Lunceford Sound."
2. William Lunceford (c. 1585-1657), an English Puritan clergyman and religious writer, who served as the rector of Bassingbourne in Cambridgeshire.
3. Sir John Lunceford (c. 1350-1413), an English knight and landowner from Lincolnshire, who served as a Member of Parliament and fought in the Hundred Years' War.
4. Thomas Lunceford (fl. 1570-1590), an English playwright and author, best known for his work "The Siege of the Fort St. Philip in Britanny."
5. Mary Lunceford (c. 1685-1760), a colonial American landowner and businesswoman from Virginia, who inherited and managed significant land holdings and plantations.
While the Lunceford name has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, notably through migration and settlement patterns. Over time, the name has become associated with various localities and place names, reflecting the geographic dispersal of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lunceford
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunceford, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lunceford 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 Lunceford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.6% · 1,780
- Black or African American7.4% · 155
- Two or more races3.8% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lunceford
Lunceford 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
#13,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,255
+96 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 461 places
2020
#13,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,105
-150 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,019 | 2,159 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,480 | 2,255 | 0.76 | +96 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 461 places |
| 2020 | #13,760 | 2,105 | 0.70 | -150 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 280 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 Lunceford 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 | #13,480 | #13,760 | -2.1% |
| Count | 2,255 | 2,105 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.70 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lunceford bearers went from 2,255 to 2,105 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 280 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,480 to #13,760.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lunceford
FAQ
Lunceford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lunceford?
Name Census estimates that about 2,414 living Americans carry the surname Lunceford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,986 residents.
How common is Lunceford?
Lunceford ranks #13,760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,105 people with the surname Lunceford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,414), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lunceford.
Has Lunceford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lunceford went from 2,255 recorded bearers to 2,105. That is a decrease of 150 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,480 to #13,760.
What does the Census say about the background of Lunceford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunceford, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Lunceford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (1,780 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lunceford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.6%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Lunceford (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 Lunceford mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "long ford," referring to a settlement near a river crossing in England. 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 Lunceford (0.70 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 share the surname Lunceford?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.