# Bedford (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/bedford/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 8,814 |
| US rank (2010) | 4,029 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 35,029 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.9% (8,651 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɛdfə(ɹ)d/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Middle English Bedforde, Bedeford, from Old English Bedaford, Bedanford, equivalent to Bede's + ford. The civil parish is named after John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford (1710 - 1771). Coined by British-Dutch surveyor Samuel Holland.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Bedford in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 65% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 28% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8% |
| Two or more races | 2.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Bedford in the United States, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United Kingdom.

## People named Bedford

- Barbara Bedford, American actress (1903-1981)
- Gunning Bedford Jr., American politician (1747–1812)
- James Bedford, American psychologist (1893-1967)
- William Bedford, American basketball player (born 1963)
- Brian Bedford, British actor (1935–2016)
- Barbara Bedford, American swimmer
- Ryan Bedford, American speed skater
- Gunning Bedford, American politician 1742-1797

## Similar surnames

Bodiford.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.