Forde
A masculine name of English origin meaning "dweller by the ford".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Forde. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Forde today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Forde births was 1950 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Forde. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Forde with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Forde is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Fordes were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Forde. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1950
5 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1950 SSA rank
#3,867
Tracked since 1950
Popularity
Forde: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Forde 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 Forde during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Forde
The name Forde is an English name that originated during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "ford," which means a shallow place where a river or stream can be crossed. This name likely referred to someone who lived near a ford or worked as a ferryman, helping people and goods cross rivers.
In the 13th century, records show a man named Forde de Forde living in Devonshire, England. This is one of the earliest recorded instances of the name being used. During this time period, surnames were just beginning to become more common, and many people adopted names based on their occupation or location.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Forde was Sir John Forde, an English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France in the 14th century. He was born in 1320 and died in 1384.
In the 16th century, a man named Thomas Forde gained notoriety as a Protestant martyr during the reign of Queen Mary I. He was burned at the stake in 1555 for his religious beliefs and refusal to convert to Catholicism.
Another notable Forde was Francis Forde, an English military officer who served in the British East India Company in the 18th century. He was born in 1718 and played a significant role in the conquest of Bengal, India, in 1757.
In the 19th century, John Forde was a prominent Irish politician and barrister. He served as a Member of Parliament for County Mayo from 1857 to 1865 and was a vocal advocate for tenant rights and land reform in Ireland.
While not as common today, the name Forde has a rich history that can be traced back to the Middle Ages in England. Its origins are rooted in the Old English language and reflect the importance of fords and river crossings in medieval times.
People
Forde + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Forde as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Forde: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Forde?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Forde 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Forde a common name?
We classify Forde as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% 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 Forde most popular?
The single biggest year for Forde was 1950, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Forde 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 Forde in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Forde a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Forde 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 Forde still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Forde 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 Forde 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 Forde?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.