# Telford (surname)

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

A characteristical surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | nickname, from a description or nickname of an ancestor |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 3,280 |
| US rank (2010) | 9,861 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 94,130 people |
| Change since 2000 | +5.5% (3,110 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Talford, Telfort |

## Etymology

From Old French taille fer, meaning "(he who) cuts iron" or "iron-cleaver"; used as a nickname for a man who could cleave clean through the armour of his foe. The second syllable was eventually reanalysed as native English 'ford'. Cognate with Tolliver, Taillefer, Telfair, Tallaferro, Taliaferro, Tagliaferro. Compare Eisenhauer. * (road): Named after Thomas Telford, a famous civil engineer.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Telford 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) | 78% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 17% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Similar surnames

Tilford, Telfer, Tolbert, Talbert, Tolliver, Talavera, Toliver, Taliaferro, Tilbury.

## 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.