Hanford
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "stony ford" or "stony brook".
Name Census estimates that about 69 living Americans carry the first name Hanford. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hanford today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hanford births was 1921 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hanford. 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 Hanford is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Hanfords were born before 1958.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hanford. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
69
~ 1 in 4,967,454 Americans
Peak year
1921
16 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1961 SSA rank
#4,308
Tracked since 1911
Popularity
Hanford: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hanford from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 122 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
Hanford 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 Hanford 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 Hanford
The name Hanford is an English given name that has its origins in the Old English language. It is derived from the elements "han" meaning "rock" and "ford" meaning "a shallow place where a river can be crossed". Thus, the name Hanford can be interpreted to mean "a shallow river crossing by a rock".
This name was particularly prevalent in areas of England where Anglo-Saxon settlements were established, such as in the counties of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Cambridgeshire. The earliest recorded mention of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a historical record commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Hanford was Sir John Hanford, a prominent English landowner and knight who lived during the 13th century. He was involved in various military campaigns and served as a member of the king's council.
Another notable figure with the name Hanford was Thomas Hanford, an English clergyman who lived from 1516 to 1581. He was appointed as the Bishop of Worcester and played a significant role in the English Reformation during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, a man named John Hanford (1633-1701) emigrated from England to the American colonies and settled in Connecticut. He became a prominent figure in the colony and served as a deputy to the General Court.
During the American Revolutionary War, Samuel Hanford (1740-1807) served as a captain in the Continental Army and fought in several battles against the British forces.
In more recent history, Cyril Hanford (1888-1972) was a British author and playwright who penned several novels and plays during the early 20th century. He is best known for his work titled "The Handyman's Manual" published in 1920.
People
Hanford + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hanford 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
Hanford: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hanford?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 69 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hanford 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 4,967,454 US residents.
Is Hanford a common name?
We classify Hanford as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 338 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hanford most popular?
The single biggest year for Hanford was 1921, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hanford is about 78 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hanford a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hanford 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.