2000
#689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,349
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.81
Uncommon Last name
Stafford
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Stafford in England, derived from Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 50,894 Americans carry the last name Stafford. That puts it at #764 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,735 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stafford 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 Stafford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
51K
1 in 6,735
Census rank
#764
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
44K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 44,382 bearers of the surname Stafford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 764th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stafford, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stafford
The surname Stafford originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the town of Stafford in Staffordshire, which takes its name from the Old English words "stæf" meaning staff or crosier and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing or ford.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Stafford can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Stadford." This reference indicates that the name was already well-established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest.
In the 12th century, a notable bearer of the name was Ralph de Stafford, who served as Sheriff of Staffordshire and Shropshire during the reign of King Henry II. His son, Hervey de Stafford, accompanied King Richard I on the Third Crusade to the Holy Land in 1190.
During the 13th century, the powerful Stafford family rose to prominence, with Edmund de Stafford becoming the 1st Baron Stafford in 1298. His descendants played significant roles in the Wars of the Roses, with Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham (1402-1460) being a prominent Lancastrian supporter.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir William Stafford (1554-1612), an English explorer and navigator who commanded several voyages to the West Indies and South America in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
In the realm of literature, the name is associated with the English poet and satirist, Robert Stafford (1603-1666), who was known for his biting criticisms of the political and social climate of his time.
Moving into the 18th century, John Stafford (1714-1795) was a prominent English clergyman and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of Richmond and held numerous academic positions at the University of Cambridge.
The name Stafford has also been carried by several notable American figures, including the statesman Lewis Stafford (1779-1833), who served as the 5th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, and the Civil War general Joab Stafford (1836-1907), who fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Throughout its history, the surname Stafford has been associated with various spellings, including Stafforde, Staforde, and Staffordshire, reflecting its locational origins and the evolution of English orthography over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stafford
Among Census respondents with the surname Stafford, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Stafford 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 Stafford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.4% · 33,886
- Black or African American14.7% · 6,521
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,937
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,431
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 347
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 260
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stafford
Stafford 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
#747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,394
+1,045 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 15.73
Rank movement Down 58 places
2020
#764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,382
-2,012 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 14.85
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #689 | 45,349 | 16.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #747 | 46,394 | 15.73 | +1,045 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 58 places |
| 2020 | #764 | 44,382 | 14.85 | -2,012 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 17 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 Stafford 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 | #747 | #764 | -2.3% |
| Count | 46,394 | 44,382 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 15.73 | 14.85 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stafford bearers went from 46,394 to 44,382 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #747 to #764.
FAQ
Stafford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stafford?
Name Census estimates that about 50,894 living Americans carry the surname Stafford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,735 residents.
How common is Stafford?
Stafford ranks #764 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 44,382 people with the surname Stafford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (50,894), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Stafford.
Has Stafford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stafford went from 46,394 recorded bearers to 44,382. That is a decrease of 2,012 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #747 to #764.
What does the Census say about the background of Stafford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stafford, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Stafford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (33,886 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stafford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.4%), Black (14.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Stafford (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 Stafford mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Stafford in England, derived from Old English. 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 Stafford (14.85 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 last name Stafford?
You can see how many people are called Stafford on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.