Santford
Of English origin meaning "sandy ford" or "ford across a sandy river".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Santford. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Santford today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Santford births was 1927 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Santford. 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 Santford is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Santfords were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Santford. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1927
8 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1949 SSA rank
#4,128
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Santford: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Santford from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 31 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
Santford 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 Santford 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 Santford
The name Santford has its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, specifically the Old Norse and Old English dialects spoken by the Norse and Anglo-Saxon peoples of Northern Europe during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the combination of the Old Norse words "sand" (meaning sand or gravel) and "ford" (a shallow crossing point in a river or stream).
This linguistic connection suggests that the name Santford may have initially referred to a person who lived near or was associated with a ford or river crossing point over sandy or gravelly terrain. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 8th century, appearing in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an important historical record of the early English kingdoms.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Santford the Wise, a scholar and advisor to King Alfred the Great of Wessex in the late 9th century. He is credited with contributing to the development of Old English literature and the establishment of educational institutions during Alfred's reign.
In the 11th century, a monk named Santford of Canterbury gained renown for his illuminated manuscripts and calligraphic works, which are now preserved in the British Library and other collections.
During the Crusades, a knight named Santford de Montfort fought alongside Richard the Lionheart and is mentioned in the chronicles of the Third Crusade (1189-1192) for his bravery in battle.
In the 14th century, a wealthy merchant named Santford Goldsmithe was a prominent figure in the city of London and served as a alderman and benefactor to several churches and charitable institutions.
Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Santford Fynderne, a 16th-century English explorer and navigator who accompanied Sir Francis Drake on his circumnavigation of the globe and documented his observations in a journal that has been preserved in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University.
While the name Santford has fallen out of common usage in modern times, its historical significance and linguistic roots provide a fascinating glimpse into the cultural and linguistic diversity of the past.
People
Santford + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Santford 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
Santford: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Santford?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Santford 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 Santford a common name?
We classify Santford 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, 47 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Santford most popular?
The single biggest year for Santford was 1927, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Santford is about 85 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Santford a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Santford 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.