Bransford
From a fortified river crossing or ford.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Bransford. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bransford today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bransford births was 1915 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bransford. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bransford. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1915
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1915 SSA rank
#3,894
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Bransford: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Bransford 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 Bransford during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Bransford
The name Bransford originates from the Old English words "bran" meaning "burnt" and "ford" meaning "a shallow place where water can be crossed". It was likely a topographic surname referring to a burnt or scorched area near a ford or river crossing.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in England, where it was used as a surname in various counties such as Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The name's transition from a surname to a given name is not well documented, but it likely occurred gradually over time as families adopted former surnames as first names.
One of the earliest known individuals with the given name Bransford was Bransford Ansley, an English landowner and farmer who lived in the late 16th century in Warwickshire. Records indicate he was born in 1572 and died in 1641.
Another notable bearer of the name was Bransford Wilkins, a British explorer and cartographer who lived in the 17th century. He is known for his expeditions to the West Indies and his detailed maps of the Caribbean islands.
In the 18th century, Bransford Culpepper was a prominent lawyer and judge in the American colonies. He served as a justice of the peace in Virginia and played a role in the early legal system of the colony.
Moving into the 19th century, Bransford Vickers was a British industrialist and entrepreneur who helped pioneer the use of steam power in textile manufacturing. He established several successful mills in Lancashire, England, and was known for his innovative approach to production.
Another 19th-century figure was Bransford Maitland, a Scottish author and historian. He wrote extensively on the history of Scotland, with his most notable work being "A History of the Scottish Highlands" published in 1865.
While not a particularly common name, Bransford has been in use for several centuries, with a handful of notable individuals bearing the name throughout history. Its origins can be traced back to Old English and its association with geographic features such as fords and burnt areas.
People
Bransford + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bransford 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
Bransford: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bransford?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bransford 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 - US residents.
Is Bransford a common name?
We classify Bransford as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bransford most popular?
The single biggest year for Bransford was 1915, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bransford is about 0 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 Bransford in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bransford a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bransford 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 Bransford still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bransford 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 Bransford 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 common is the name Bransford?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Bransford, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.