Saford
Strong guard or guardian of the river.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Saford. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Saford today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Saford births was 1941 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Saford. 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 Saford is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Safords were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Saford. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1941
11 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
1941 SSA rank
#2,312
Tracked since 1941
Popularity
Saford: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Saford 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 Saford during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Geography
Where Safords live
Origin
Meaning and history of Saford
The name Saford is believed to have originated from the Old English language, with its roots dating back to the early medieval period, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD. The name is thought to be derived from the combination of two Old English words: "sæ" meaning "sea" and "ford" meaning "a shallow place where a river or stream can be crossed." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a location or settlement near a ford or crossing point situated by the sea.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Saford can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This historical record mentions a landowner named Saford, who held lands in the county of Somerset, England. This early reference provides evidence of the name's usage during the Norman period.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Saford appears to have been relatively uncommon, with few notable individuals bearing this name. One exception is Saford de Beaumont, a knight who fought alongside King Richard I during the Third Crusade in the late 12th century.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained some prominence with the birth of Saford Winchcombe, an English playwright and poet born in 1535. Winchcombe is known for his contributions to the development of the English Renaissance theatre and his collaborations with notable contemporaries such as William Shakespeare.
In the 17th century, Saford Randolph, born in 1609, was an English poet and dramatist. He is particularly known for his play "The Jealous Lovers," which was performed at the court of King Charles I.
Fast forward to the 19th century, Saford Fitzsimons, born in 1824, was an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. He played a significant role in the political landscape of his time and advocated for the rights of Irish immigrants in America.
Despite its relative rarity, the name Saford has maintained a presence throughout history, with notable individuals bearing this name across various fields, from literature and the arts to politics and military service. While the origins of the name can be traced back to Old English, its unique combination of elements related to the sea and river crossings has given it a distinct and memorable quality.
People
Saford + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Saford as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Saford: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Saford?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Saford 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Saford a common name?
We classify Saford as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Saford most popular?
The single biggest year for Saford was 1941, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Saford is about 80 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 Saford in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Saford a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Saford 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 Saford still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Saford 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 Saford 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 Saford?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Saford at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.