Linford
From a wooded vale near a flowing stream.
Name Census estimates that about 360 living Americans carry the first name Linford. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Linford today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Linford births was 1921 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Linford. 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.
People living today
360
~ 1 in 952,095 Americans
Peak year
1921
20 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2019 SSA rank
#13,337
Tracked since 1896
Popularity
Linford: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Linford from the 1890s through to the 2010s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 144 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
Linford 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 Linford during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Linfords live
Origin
Meaning and history of Linford
Linford is a given name of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English words "lind" meaning "lime tree" and "ford" meaning "a shallow place for crossing a river or stream." This suggests that the name may have originated in areas of England where lime trees grew near fords or river crossings.
The earliest known record of the name Linford dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as a place name referring to a settlement near a lime tree ford. However, its use as a personal name likely predates this record, as many Anglo-Saxon place names were derived from the given names of their founders or early inhabitants.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Linford was Linford of Buckinghamshire, a landowner mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1176. These rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer, indicating that the name was in use among the Anglo-Saxon gentry in the 12th century.
In the 13th century, there are records of a Linford de Woodhouse, a knight from Yorkshire who took part in the Barons' War against King John in 1215. This suggests that the name was also present among the nobility of medieval England.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure named Linford Hewett (1559-1637) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including a commentary on the Book of Proverbs.
In the 18th century, Linford Lister (1716-1783) was a prominent English naturalist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of conchology (the study of mollusc shells) and published several works on the subject.
Another individual of historical note was Linford Christie (born 1960), a former British sprinter who won numerous Olympic and World Championship gold medals in the 100m and 200m events during the 1980s and 1990s. He was one of the most successful and celebrated British athletes of his era.
While not as common as some other Anglo-Saxon names, Linford has maintained a presence throughout English history, with notable bearers of the name spanning various fields, including religion, science, and sports.
People
Linford + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Linford as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Linford: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Linford?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 360 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Linford 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 952,095 US residents.
Is Linford a common name?
We classify Linford as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 779 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Linford most popular?
The single biggest year for Linford was 1921, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Linford is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Linford a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Linford 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.