Recorded 1885–1973 Boys' name Peak 1923 589 births

Guilford — boys' name

589 babies named Guilford in U.S. Social Security records since 1885, with the highest year being 1923. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s51890s81900s51910s1301920s1651930s1001940s881950s671960s161970s5
1920s
Peak decade

28% of everyone ever named Guilford was born in this single decade.

1923
Single peak year

22 babies were named Guilford in 1923 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Guilford

The Social Security Administration has registered 589 babies named Guilford between 1885 and 1973, spanning 89 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Guilford currently falls outside the top 1,000 boys' names for 1973. The name reached its historical peak in 1923, when 22 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Guilford performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 165 births during that ten-year window. Across the 10 decades of recorded activity, Guilford shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in North Carolina, which accounts for 5 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by . In total, SSA state-level files list Guilford in 1 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Guilford in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 589 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Guilford at a glance

Last recorded 1973

Total births

589

Since 1885

89 years of records

Peak year

1923

22 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

Unranked

Outside the modern top-1,000

As of 1973

Active since

1885

Recorded for 89 years

Last year on file: 1973

Guilford popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1973–1885

Last recorded 1973
Peak year (1923)
22
Annual births at peak — across 89 years of records
0510152025 197319541947194019321925191819111885 5

Guilford by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
165 births that decade — 28% of Guilford's all-time total
1880s51890s81900s51910s1301920s1651930s1001940s881950s671960s161970s5

Guilford by state

Where Guilford concentrates geographically — total births since 1885

Geographically diffuse
Top 1 states by recorded births for the name Guilford
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 North Carolina
5 0.8%
North Carolina share of Guilford's total US births 0.8%

5 of 589 births nationwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Guilford?
589 babies have been named Guilford since 1885. It was last recorded in 1973. The peak year was 1923 with 22 births.
When was Guilford most popular?
Guilford was most popular in the 1920s decade with 165 total births. The single peak year was 1923.
Where is Guilford most popular?
The top states for the name Guilford are North Carolina (5 births).
How long has the name Guilford been used?
Guilford has been recorded in Social Security data since 1885, spanning 89 years of data through 1973.
What names are similar to Guilford?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Guillermo, Guido, Guiseppe, Guilherme, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Guilford

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1885–1973 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.