Garfield
Garfield was given to 5 boys in 2025, #12,647 among boys’ names; 5,566 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 1,580 Americans named Garfield and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (28% of everyone recorded); the median is 62 years old and half are between 43 and 75.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Garfield by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Garfield mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Garfield is “a male given name transferred from the surname.” Its etymology gives the senses “spear” (gār) and “field” (feld).
Also Garfeld, from Old English gār (“spear”) + feld (“field”).
/ˈɡɑɹfild/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Garfield?
#12,647 among boys’ names, 2025
Garfield fell from #9,015 in 2015 to #12,647 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 4.2 to 2.9 per million.
147 babies in 1881, the peak
Garfield peaked in 1881, when 147 boys were given it, #88 among boys’ names. The 5 births of 2025 are 3% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | #12,647 | under 0.01 |
| 2021 | 5 | #12,752 | under 0.01 |
| 2019 | 8 | #9,157 | under 0.01 |
| 2015 | 8 | #9,015 | under 0.01 |
| 2013 | 8 | #9,061 | under 0.01 |
| 2010 | 5 | #12,894 | under 0.01 |
| 2009 | 11 | #7,363 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 10 | #7,875 | under 0.01 |
| 2007 | 7 | #10,124 | under 0.01 |
| 2006 | 5 | #12,665 | under 0.01 |
Every recorded year (136)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 11 | #6,780 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 11 | #6,682 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 13 | #5,649 | 0.01 |
| 2002 | 11 | #6,221 | 0.01 |
| 2001 | 11 | #6,156 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 12 | #5,679 | 0.01 |
| 1999 | 14 | #4,847 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 13 | #4,963 | 0.01 |
| 1997 | 14 | #4,520 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 11 | #5,299 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 12 | #4,891 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 26 | #2,793 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 10 | #5,480 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 20 | #3,252 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 17 | #3,508 | 0.01 |
| 1990 | 26 | #2,569 | 0.01 |
| 1989 | 18 | #3,244 | 0.01 |
| 1988 | 12 | #3,990 | 0.01 |
| 1987 | 20 | #2,659 | 0.01 |
| 1986 | 9 | #4,593 | under 0.01 |
| 1985 | 9 | #4,440 | under 0.01 |
| 1984 | 19 | #2,558 | 0.01 |
| 1983 | 18 | #2,609 | 0.01 |
| 1982 | 14 | #3,172 | 0.01 |
| 1981 | 23 | #2,223 | 0.01 |
| 1980 | 17 | #2,760 | 0.01 |
| 1979 | 15 | #2,938 | 0.01 |
| 1978 | 24 | #2,030 | 0.01 |
| 1977 | 20 | #2,298 | 0.01 |
| 1976 | 16 | #2,641 | 0.01 |
| 1975 | 23 | #2,026 | 0.01 |
| 1974 | 28 | #1,718 | 0.02 |
| 1973 | 17 | #2,344 | 0.01 |
| 1972 | 26 | #1,740 | 0.02 |
| 1971 | 21 | #2,001 | 0.01 |
| 1970 | 28 | #1,633 | 0.02 |
| 1969 | 35 | #1,366 | 0.02 |
| 1968 | 27 | #1,522 | 0.02 |
| 1967 | 33 | #1,320 | 0.02 |
| 1966 | 25 | #1,551 | 0.01 |
| 1965 | 29 | #1,442 | 0.02 |
| 1964 | 34 | #1,356 | 0.02 |
| 1963 | 47 | #1,130 | 0.02 |
| 1962 | 26 | #1,561 | 0.01 |
| 1961 | 46 | #1,161 | 0.02 |
| 1960 | 31 | #1,442 | 0.01 |
| 1959 | 31 | #1,420 | 0.01 |
| 1958 | 39 | #1,241 | 0.02 |
| 1957 | 46 | #1,139 | 0.02 |
| 1956 | 49 | #1,084 | 0.02 |
| 1955 | 43 | #1,141 | 0.02 |
| 1954 | 50 | #1,057 | 0.02 |
| 1953 | 69 | #864 | 0.03 |
| 1952 | 69 | #843 | 0.04 |
| 1951 | 43 | #1,100 | 0.02 |
| 1950 | 70 | #814 | 0.04 |
| 1949 | 67 | #837 | 0.04 |
| 1948 | 62 | #868 | 0.04 |
| 1947 | 48 | #1,040 | 0.03 |
| 1946 | 61 | #846 | 0.04 |
| 1945 | 59 | #812 | 0.04 |
| 1944 | 66 | #771 | 0.05 |
| 1943 | 42 | #1,041 | 0.03 |
| 1942 | 62 | #825 | 0.04 |
| 1941 | 70 | #740 | 0.06 |
| 1940 | 79 | #681 | 0.07 |
| 1939 | 67 | #735 | 0.06 |
| 1938 | 63 | #773 | 0.06 |
| 1937 | 54 | #832 | 0.05 |
| 1936 | 48 | #886 | 0.05 |
| 1935 | 54 | #853 | 0.05 |
| 1934 | 60 | #800 | 0.06 |
| 1933 | 54 | #844 | 0.05 |
| 1932 | 69 | #758 | 0.07 |
| 1931 | 70 | #735 | 0.07 |
| 1930 | 72 | #751 | 0.07 |
| 1929 | 77 | #707 | 0.07 |
| 1928 | 74 | #744 | 0.07 |
| 1927 | 97 | #644 | 0.09 |
| 1926 | 86 | #685 | 0.08 |
| 1925 | 95 | #656 | 0.09 |
| 1924 | 94 | #667 | 0.08 |
| 1923 | 99 | #647 | 0.09 |
| 1922 | 104 | #635 | 0.10 |
| 1921 | 102 | #636 | 0.09 |
| 1920 | 104 | #620 | 0.10 |
| 1919 | 111 | #568 | 0.11 |
| 1918 | 119 | #549 | 0.12 |
| 1917 | 101 | #593 | 0.11 |
| 1916 | 98 | #588 | 0.11 |
| 1915 | 101 | #564 | 0.12 |
| 1914 | 81 | #549 | 0.12 |
| 1913 | 70 | #513 | 0.14 |
| 1912 | 57 | #525 | 0.13 |
| 1911 | 38 | #473 | 0.17 |
| 1910 | 43 | #409 | 0.22 |
| 1909 | 35 | #423 | 0.21 |
| 1908 | 29 | #456 | 0.19 |
| 1907 | 37 | #368 | 0.25 |
| 1906 | 31 | #389 | 0.23 |
| 1905 | 23 | #470 | 0.17 |
| 1904 | 31 | #362 | 0.24 |
| 1903 | 19 | #492 | 0.16 |
| 1902 | 26 | #396 | 0.21 |
| 1901 | 24 | #384 | 0.23 |
| 1900 | 32 | #394 | 0.21 |
| 1899 | 19 | #429 | 0.18 |
| 1898 | 22 | #423 | 0.18 |
| 1897 | 18 | #462 | 0.16 |
| 1896 | 20 | #447 | 0.17 |
| 1895 | 15 | #537 | 0.13 |
| 1894 | 20 | #426 | 0.17 |
| 1893 | 12 | #587 | 0.11 |
| 1892 | 26 | #377 | 0.21 |
| 1891 | 23 | #360 | 0.23 |
| 1890 | 28 | #331 | 0.25 |
| 1889 | 29 | #328 | 0.26 |
| 1888 | 31 | #326 | 0.26 |
| 1887 | 26 | #328 | 0.26 |
| 1886 | 38 | #276 | 0.34 |
| 1885 | 34 | #286 | 0.32 |
| 1884 | 30 | #320 | 0.26 |
| 1883 | 49 | #222 | 0.47 |
| 1882 | 69 | #190 | 0.61 |
| 1881 | 147 | #88 | 1.5 |
| 1880 | 122 | #111 | 1.1 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Garfield a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Garfield has been recorded only for boys: SSA lists no girls with the name in 136 years of records (it lists a name only in years with 5 or more babies of a sex).
Girls and boys named Garfield: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Garfield, and how old are they?
1,580 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 28% of the 5,566 Americans ever recorded as Garfield. The median Garfield alive today is 62 years old; half are between 43 and 75.
The 2020 Census counted 2,967 people named Garfield (14 women and girls, 2,953 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 1,869 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1.6 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 213 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 597 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 337 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 251 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 145 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 34 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Garfield born?
The states with the most babies named Garfield are North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia, with 49% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Virginia is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 318 | not ranked | 2.2× |
| Virginia | 254 | not ranked | 2.4× |
| Georgia | 181 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| New York | 147 | not ranked | 0.4× |
| Mississippi | 113 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Pennsylvania | 95 | not ranked | 0.3× |
| South Carolina | 94 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| Alabama | 76 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Tennessee | 66 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Texas | 40 | not ranked | 0.1× |
Where Garfield is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Garfield is most over-represented in Virginia: since 1910 it was given 2.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Garfield with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Garfield
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Garfield and names like it
- Compare Garfield and WinfieldBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1880sGarfield peaked in 1881.
- North Carolina’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Garfield since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Garfield: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1881The year the most babies were named Garfield.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Garfield alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with GMost given first.