Hafford
From Old English elements meaning "hare" and "ford" or "crossing".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Hafford. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hafford today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hafford births was 1916 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hafford. 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 Hafford. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1916
9 babies that year
Average age
-
1916 SSA rank
#2,803
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Hafford: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hafford 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 Hafford 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 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hafford
The given name Hafford is believed to have originated from a combination of two Old English words: "hæf" meaning "sea" and "ford" meaning "a shallow place where a river or stream can be crossed." The name likely emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in England, which lasted from the 5th to the 11th centuries.
This name was likely used to refer to individuals who lived near a shallow crossing or ford in a body of water, perhaps even settlements that grew around these fords. The name may have been particularly common in coastal regions or areas with numerous rivers and streams.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hafford can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Hafford in the county of Somerset.
In the 12th century, a monk named Hafford is mentioned in the chronicles of the Benedictine abbey of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk. This suggests that the name was in use among the clergy during the Middle Ages.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure named Hafford was Sir Hafford Fitzwilliam (1490-1542), an English nobleman and courtier who served as Lord Privy Seal under King Henry VIII. He was known for his loyalty and military exploits during the Anglo-Scottish Wars.
In the 17th century, Hafford Browne (1615-1691) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious treatises and sermons. He served as the rector of St. Giles-in-the-Fields in London.
Another notable individual was Hafford Townshend (1742-1811), a British politician and member of parliament who served as Secretary at War from 1794 to 1801 during the French Revolutionary Wars.
It is worth noting that while the name Hafford may have held significance in earlier periods, its usage has become relatively rare in modern times, perhaps due to its unique and archaic sound.
People
Hafford + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hafford as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hafford: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hafford?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hafford 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 Hafford a common name?
We classify Hafford 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, 9 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hafford most popular?
The single biggest year for Hafford was 1916, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hafford 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 Hafford in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hafford a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hafford 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 Hafford still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hafford 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 Hafford 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 people share the name Hafford?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.