Recorded 1916–1982 Boys' name Peak 1935 169 births

Raford — boys' name

169 babies named Raford in U.S. Social Security records since 1916, with the highest year being 1935. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1910s121920s401930s521940s261950s181960s161980s5
1930s
Peak decade

31% of everyone ever named Raford was born in this single decade.

1935
Single peak year

10 babies were named Raford in 1935 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Raford

The Social Security Administration has registered 169 babies named Raford between 1916 and 1982, spanning 67 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Raford currently falls outside the top 1,000 boys' names for 1982. The name reached its historical peak in 1935, when 10 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Raford performed strongest in the 1930s, accumulating 52 births during that ten-year window. Across the 7 decades of recorded activity, Raford shows a clear decline from its mid-century high.

No etymological entry is currently available for Raford 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 169 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.

Raford at a glance

Last recorded 1982

Total births

169

Since 1916

67 years of records

Peak year

1935

10 births that year

Strongest decade: 1930s

Current rank

Unranked

Outside the modern top-1,000

As of 1982

Active since

1916

Recorded for 67 years

Last year on file: 1982

Raford popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1982–1916

Last recorded 1982
Peak year (1935)
10
Annual births at peak — across 67 years of records
4681012 19821954194619381934192719201916 7

Raford by decade

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

Peak: 1930s
Peak decade
1930s
52 births that decade — 31% of Raford's all-time total
1910s121920s401930s521940s261950s181960s161980s5

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Raford?
169 babies have been named Raford since 1916. It was last recorded in 1982. The peak year was 1935 with 10 births.
When was Raford most popular?
Raford was most popular in the 1930s decade with 52 total births. The single peak year was 1935.
How long has the name Raford been used?
Raford has been recorded in Social Security data since 1916, spanning 67 years of data through 1982.
What names are similar to Raford?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Rafael, Rafe, Raffaele, Rafeal, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

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, 1916–1982 (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.