How common is the surname Redford?

2,996 people in the United States had the surname Redford in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 103,053 Americans. It ranked 10,675th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Redford?

Robert Redford, American actor and director (1936–2025), followed by Blair Redford.

Where is the surname Redford most common?

Wikidata records people named Redford in the United States and Canada.

Is the surname Redford getting more or less common?

More common. 2,874 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 2,996 in 2010, up 4.2%.

The surname Redford

An English surname, carried by 2,996 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex R316

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Redford is more common than 93.4% of them.

Origin

English origin

Possibly from Old English *hrotiġ (“dirty”) + ford. This would be a reference to the peat-stained water of the stream at the ford.

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 2,996 people named Redford in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 103,053 Americans. That is up 4.2% since 2000, when the Census counted 2,874.

#10,675

rank among US surnames

2,996

people in 2010

1.0

per 100,000 Americans

+4.2%

change since 2000 (was #10,277)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#10,668	Troupe	2,999	102,949
#10,671	Bolivar	2,997	103,018
#10,675	Patin	2,996	103,053
#10,678	Lian	2,995	103,087
#10,679	Ruffner	2,994	103,121
#10,681	Banas	2,993	103,156
#10,683	Hayashi	2,992	103,190

Who is named Redford

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

86% of people named Redford identified as white (not Hispanic), 7.1% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 86%
Black (not Hispanic) 7.1%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
Two or more races 2.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.1%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.0%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Redfords

6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Robert Redford
American actor and director (1936–2025)
Blair Redford
American actor, born 1983
Alison Redford
14th Premier of Alberta, born 1965
Amy Redford
Actress and producer from the United States, born 1970
Spencer Redford
American actress, born 1983
J. A. C. Redford
American composer, arranger, orchestrator, conductor and writer, born 1953

Notable Redfords come mostly from the United States (5) and Canada (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Redford

Redford has the Soundex code R316, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R316.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Redford come from?: Possibly from Old English *hrotiġ (“dirty”) + ford. This would be a reference to the peat-stained water of the stream at the ford.
How common is the surname Redford?: 2,996 people in the United States had the surname Redford in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 103,053 Americans. It ranked 10,675th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Redford?: In the 2010 Census, 86% of people named Redford identified as white (not Hispanic), and 7.1% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Redford?: Robert Redford, American actor and director (1936–2025), followed by Blair Redford.
Where is the surname Redford most common?: Wikidata records people named Redford in the United States and Canada.
Is the surname Redford getting more or less common?: More common. 2,874 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 2,996 in 2010, up 4.2%.