Ballard
A variant of the name Bernard meaning "brave as a bear".
Name Census estimates that about 329 living Americans carry the first name Ballard. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ballard today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ballard births was 1922 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ballard. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Ballard is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ballards were born before 1963.
People living today
329
~ 1 in 1,041,806 Americans
Peak year
1922
40 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
2001 SSA rank
#9,368
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Ballard: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ballard from the 1880s through to the 2000s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 257 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ballard by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ballard during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ballards live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia recorded the most babies named Ballard, while West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 117 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ballard
The given name Ballard has its origins in the Old French language, derived from the word "bailliard," which means "bailiff" or "steward." The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, specifically to the 12th and 13th centuries.
During this period, the term "bailliard" referred to a person who held a position of authority and responsibility, often managing estates or overseeing administrative tasks on behalf of a lord or nobleman. The name Ballard likely emerged as a surname for individuals who held such roles, and over time, it transitioned into a given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ballard can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England completed in 1086 under the reign of William the Conqueror. This document mentions individuals with the surname Bailliard, which later evolved into the spelling Ballard.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ballard. One of the most famous was Ballard Berkeley (1904-1988), an English actor known for his roles in films such as The Ruling Class and Gandhi. Another noteworthy figure was Ballard F. Smith (1924-1994), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Irvine Company, a major real estate development firm in California.
In the world of literature, Ballard was the name of a character in the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville (1819-1891). Ballard was a member of the crew aboard the whaling ship Pequod, and his name has become associated with the themes of adventure and exploration that permeate the novel.
Ballard Spahr (1886-1960) was an influential American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1951 to 1957. He was known for his efforts to promote civil rights and his support for the establishment of the United Nations.
Another notable figure was Ballard Burgess (1892-1973), an American actor and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway musicals and Hollywood films during the 1920s and 1930s. He is particularly remembered for his roles in the Marx Brothers' movies Animal Crackers and A Night at the Opera.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who have carried the name Ballard throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence and significance across various cultures and contexts.
People
Ballard + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ballard as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ballard: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ballard?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 329 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ballard going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,041,806 US residents.
Is Ballard a common name?
We classify Ballard as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,153 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ballard most popular?
The single biggest year for Ballard was 1922, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ballard is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ballard a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ballard in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.