How common is the surname Bedford?

8,814 people in the United States had the surname Bedford in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 35,029 Americans. It ranked 4,029th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Bedford?

Barbara Bedford, American actress (1903-1981), followed by Gunning Bedford Jr..

Where is the surname Bedford most common?

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

How do you pronounce Bedford?

Bedford is /ˈbɛdfə(ɹ)d/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Bedford getting more or less common?

More common. 8,651 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,814 in 2010, up 1.9%.

The surname Bedford

An English surname, carried by 8,814 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈbɛdfə(ɹ)d/ 2 syllables Soundex B316

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Bedford is more common than 97.5% of them.

Origin

English origin

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.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 8,814 people named Bedford in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 35,029 Americans. That is up 1.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 8,651.

#4,029

rank among US surnames

8,814

people in 2010

3.0

per 100,000 Americans

+1.9%

change since 2000 (was #3,764)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#4,021	Peebles	8,843	34,914
#4,022	Chiang	8,841	34,922
#4,024	Fung	8,837	34,938
#4,025	Hutchings	8,833	34,954
#4,026	Himes	8,831	34,962
#4,027	Frame	8,827	34,977
#4,028	Creel	8,815	35,025

Who is named Bedford

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

65% of people named Bedford identified as white (not Hispanic), 28% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.7% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Bedfords

8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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, born 1972
Ryan Bedford
American speed skater, born 1986
Gunning Bedford
American politician 1742-1797

Notable Bedfords come mostly from the United States (6), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Bedford

Bodiford

Bedford has the Soundex code B316, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B316.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Bedford come from?: 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.
How common is the surname Bedford?: 8,814 people in the United States had the surname Bedford in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 35,029 Americans. It ranked 4,029th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Bedford?: In the 2010 Census, 65% of people named Bedford identified as white (not Hispanic), and 28% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Bedford?: Barbara Bedford, American actress (1903-1981), followed by Gunning Bedford Jr..
Where is the surname Bedford most common?: Wikidata records people named Bedford in the United States, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United Kingdom.
How do you pronounce Bedford?: Bedford is /ˈbɛdfə(ɹ)d/, 2 syllables.
Is the surname Bedford getting more or less common?: More common. 8,651 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,814 in 2010, up 1.9%.