2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Stamford
An English surname referring to someone from Stamford, a town in Lincolnshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 165 Americans carry the last name Stamford. That puts it at #125,089 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,077,299 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stamford 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 Stamford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
165
1 in 2,077,299
Census rank
#125,089
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
144
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 144 bearers of the surname Stamford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 125089th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stamford, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stamford
The surname Stamford originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is a locational surname, derived from the place name "Stamford," which is a town in Lincolnshire, England. The name "Stamford" itself is thought to come from the Old English words "stan" meaning stone and "ford" meaning a shallow crossing of a river.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Stamford can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book includes entries for individuals with variations of the name, such as "de Stanforde" and "de Stamford."
In the 13th century, a man named John de Stamford was recorded as a landowner in Rutland, England. Another notable individual with this surname was Sir John Stamford, a member of the English Parliament who lived in the late 14th century.
During the 16th century, a family of Stamfords held significant landholdings and influence in Northamptonshire, England. One member of this family, Sir William Stamford (1508-1587), served as a member of Parliament and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, a clergyman named Thomas Stamford (1618-1676) became the Archdeacon of Coventry and later the Dean of York. He was a prominent figure in the Church of England during his lifetime.
Another individual of note was Sir John Stamford Raffles (1781-1826), a British colonial administrator and the founder of modern Singapore. He was born in Jamaica but took his surname from his father's birthplace of Stamford, Lincolnshire.
The Stamford surname has also been associated with various place names over the centuries, such as Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire, which was the site of a famous battle in 1066, and Stamford Hill in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stamford
Among Census respondents with the surname Stamford, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Stamford 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 Stamford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.2% · 114
- Black or African American6.9% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 10
- Two or more races5.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stamford
Stamford 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-13 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,373 places
2020
#125,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
+22 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 12,238 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 18,373 places |
| 2020 | #125,089 | 144 | 0.05 | +22 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 12,238 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 Stamford 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 | #137,327 | #125,089 | 8.9% |
| Count | 122 | 144 | 18.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stamford bearers went from 122 to 144 (+18.0% change). The surname moved up 12,238 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #125,089.
FAQ
Stamford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stamford?
Name Census estimates that about 165 living Americans carry the surname Stamford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,077,299 residents.
How common is Stamford?
Stamford ranks #125,089 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 144 people with the surname Stamford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Stamford.
Has Stamford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stamford went from 122 recorded bearers to 144. That is an increase of 22 (+18.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #137,327 to #125,089.
What does the Census say about the background of Stamford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stamford, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Stamford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stamford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.2%), Black (6.9%), Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Stamford (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 Stamford mean?
An English surname referring to someone from Stamford, a town in Lincolnshire. 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 Stamford (0.05 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 Americans have the surname Stamford?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.