Bluford
A masculine name of English origin meaning "blue ford" or "river crossing".
Name Census estimates that about 44 living Americans carry the first name Bluford. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bluford today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bluford births was 1917 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bluford. 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 Bluford is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Blufords were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bluford. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
44
~ 1 in 7,789,871 Americans
Peak year
1917
16 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1952 SSA rank
#3,797
Tracked since 1882
Popularity
Bluford: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bluford from the 1880s through to the 1950s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 84 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
Bluford 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 Bluford during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bluford
The given name Bluford has its origins traced back to the Old English language, with roots in the Germanic linguistic family. It is believed to have emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period, which spanned from the 5th to the 11th centuries AD, across what is now known as England and parts of southeastern Scotland.
The name Bluford is thought to be derived from the Old English words "blæd" and "ford," which respectively translate to "fruit" or "prosperity" and "a shallow place where a river or stream can be crossed." This combination suggests that the name may have originated as a place name, referring to a prosperous or fruitful settlement located near a river crossing.
While no definitive ancient texts or religious scriptures directly mention the name Bluford, its components can be found in various Old English documents and manuscripts from the medieval period. One notable example is the Domesday Book, a comprehensive land survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, which contains references to settlements with names similar to Bluford.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Bluford can be traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries, with various spelling variations such as "Blauford," "Blowford," and "Bloford." Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne this name, including:
1. Bluford Peake (c. 1510-1585), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Bluford Chumley (1618-1697), a prominent landowner and farmer in colonial Virginia, known for his contributions to the early agricultural development of the region.
3. Bluford Thatcher (1783-1867), an American Revolutionary War veteran and one of the first settlers in the Ohio Western Reserve.
4. Bluford Shipp (1819-1892), a British naval officer and explorer who participated in several Arctic expeditions in the mid-19th century.
5. Bluford Barnes (1858-1934), an African American educator and civil rights activist who played a significant role in establishing educational opportunities for Black students in the post-Reconstruction era.
While the name Bluford has maintained a presence throughout history, it has remained relatively uncommon compared to other given names. Its unique origins and connection to the Anglo-Saxon language and culture make it a distinctive and intriguing name with a rich historical background.
People
Bluford + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bluford 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
Bluford: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bluford?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 44 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bluford 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 7,789,871 US residents.
Is Bluford a common name?
We classify Bluford as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 293 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bluford most popular?
The single biggest year for Bluford was 1917, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bluford is about 85 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bluford in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bluford a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bluford 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.
Is Bluford still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bluford in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bluford can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Bluford?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.