Total births
15,044
Boys' name · since 1880
Sanford
15,044 babies named Sanford in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1929. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6834
- among boys today
- 15,044
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 52%
- more common than other boys
15,044 babies have been named Sanford since 1880, making it today's #6834 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sanford has been recorded 15,044 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #6834 nationally and more common than 52% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #6834 among boys today
- 15,044 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 52% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sanford is currently the #6834 boys' name in America, more common than 52% of boys - 15,044 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #6834
- among boys today
- 15,044
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 52%
- more common than other boys
Sanford vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#6834
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 52% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Sanford was born in this single decade.
1929
Single peak year
315 babies were named Sanford in 1929 - its busiest year on record.
How Sanford compares
15,044 Top 7% higher than 93% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Sanford's all-time total is 41x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sanford | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,044 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 315 | 23 | 22,252 |
Sanford's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Sanford splits its recorded history at 1953: 28% of all births land in the more recent half, 72% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2011 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1929 peak of 315 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Sanford at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1929
Current rank
#6,834
Active since
1880
Sanford popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1929)
- 315
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sanford by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Sanford's strongest decade.
2,694 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Sanford births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 252
1880s
252 births
- 1890s 240
1890s
240 births
- 1900s 294
1900s
294 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,522 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,694 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,474 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,587 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,104 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,382 births
- 1970s 625
1970s
625 births
- 1980s 339
1980s
339 births
- 1990s 199
1990s
199 births
- 2000s 132
2000s
132 births
- 2010s 119
2010s
119 births
- 2020s 81
2020s
81 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,694 births (18% of all-time use).
How Sanford compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Sanford's total volume
Sanford vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Sanford by state
Where Sanford concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 2,386 | 15.9% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 1,035 | 6.9% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 604 | 4.0% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 603 | 4.0% |
| #5 | California | | 559 | 3.7% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 556 | 3.7% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 528 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 481 | 3.2% |
New York share of Sanford's total US births 15.9%
Even split
2,386 of 15,044 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Sanford appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sanford? ▼
15,044 babies have been named Sanford since 1880. It currently ranks #6834 among boys. The peak year was 1929 with 315 births.
When was Sanford most popular? ▼
Sanford was most popular in the 1920s decade with 2,694 total births. The single peak year was 1929.
Where is Sanford most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sanford are New York (2,386 births), Ohio (1,035 births), Pennsylvania (604 births).
How long has the name Sanford been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Sanford since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Sanford? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Santiago, Santos, Santino, Sandy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Sanford's data
- Sanford's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,694 total births); usage has since declined to 81 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Sanfords (2,386 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sanford
Nearby Names Like Sanford
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sanford
Santiago Boy
#29 103,828 births
Santos Boy
#834 18,814 births
Santino Boy
#363 13,624 births
Sandy Boy
#7259 10,458 births
Santana Boy
#810 7,785 births
Compare Sanford side by side: Sanford vs Santiago Sanford vs Santos Sanford vs Santino
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sanford
Napoleon #6833
7,805 births · Peak 1926
Huston #6835
2,714 births · Peak 1922
Orville #6832
35,065 births · Peak 1920
Clovis #6836
3,092 births · Peak 1917
Nivam #6831
13 births · Peak 2024
Artie #6837
4,417 births · Peak 1959
Emren #6830
13 births · Peak 2024
Linwood #6838
12,776 births · Peak 1948
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Sanford: #6834 Boys' Name - 15,044 Births, Peak 1929." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sanford. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Sanford draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.