Sanford
Sanford was given to 12 boys in 2025, #7,109 among boys’ names; 15,044 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 5,300 Americans named Sanford and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (35% of everyone recorded); the median is 68 years old and half are between 56 and 77.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Sanford by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Sanford mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Sanford is “a male given name transferred from the surname.”
Reduced variant of Sandford.
/ˈsænfɚd/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Sanford?
#7,109 among boys’ names, 2025
Sanford fell from #6,606 in 2015 to #7,109 in 2025 among boys’ names, although its share of boys born rose from 6.8 to 7.0 per million.
315 babies in 1929, the peak
Sanford peaked in 1929, when 315 boys were given it, #311 among boys’ names. The 12 births of 2025 are 4% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #7,109 | 0.01 |
| 2024 | 12 | #7,186 | 0.01 |
| 2023 | 8 | #9,592 | under 0.01 |
| 2022 | 19 | #5,179 | 0.01 |
| 2021 | 13 | #6,603 | 0.01 |
| 2020 | 17 | #5,415 | 0.01 |
| 2019 | 18 | #5,303 | 0.01 |
| 2018 | 15 | #5,990 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 12 | #7,021 | 0.01 |
| 2016 | 13 | #6,654 | 0.01 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 13 | #6,606 | 0.01 |
| 2014 | 12 | #6,976 | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 7 | #10,527 | under 0.01 |
| 2012 | 14 | #6,246 | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 6 | #12,001 | under 0.01 |
| 2010 | 9 | #8,662 | under 0.01 |
| 2009 | 9 | #8,868 | under 0.01 |
| 2008 | 17 | #5,443 | 0.01 |
| 2007 | 11 | #7,488 | 0.01 |
| 2006 | 12 | #6,827 | 0.01 |
| 2005 | 14 | #5,819 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 14 | #5,736 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 10 | #7,143 | 0.01 |
| 2002 | 14 | #5,337 | 0.01 |
| 2001 | 13 | #5,608 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 18 | #4,344 | 0.01 |
| 1999 | 15 | #4,712 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 16 | #4,371 | 0.01 |
| 1997 | 17 | #4,017 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 14 | #4,564 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 16 | #4,008 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 20 | #3,438 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 18 | #3,623 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 23 | #2,979 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 28 | #2,526 | 0.01 |
| 1990 | 32 | #2,244 | 0.02 |
| 1989 | 32 | #2,189 | 0.02 |
| 1988 | 28 | #2,236 | 0.01 |
| 1987 | 27 | #2,201 | 0.01 |
| 1986 | 32 | #1,909 | 0.02 |
| 1985 | 27 | #2,112 | 0.01 |
| 1984 | 25 | #2,148 | 0.01 |
| 1983 | 45 | #1,422 | 0.03 |
| 1982 | 50 | #1,338 | 0.03 |
| 1981 | 30 | #1,892 | 0.02 |
| 1980 | 43 | #1,468 | 0.02 |
| 1979 | 29 | #1,899 | 0.02 |
| 1978 | 41 | #1,470 | 0.02 |
| 1977 | 43 | #1,403 | 0.03 |
| 1976 | 46 | #1,313 | 0.03 |
| 1975 | 44 | #1,319 | 0.03 |
| 1974 | 56 | #1,108 | 0.04 |
| 1973 | 80 | #896 | 0.05 |
| 1972 | 77 | #915 | 0.05 |
| 1971 | 112 | #772 | 0.06 |
| 1970 | 97 | #824 | 0.05 |
| 1969 | 109 | #751 | 0.06 |
| 1968 | 125 | #673 | 0.07 |
| 1967 | 132 | #651 | 0.08 |
| 1966 | 130 | #651 | 0.07 |
| 1965 | 101 | #739 | 0.05 |
| 1964 | 141 | #654 | 0.07 |
| 1963 | 140 | #659 | 0.07 |
| 1962 | 158 | #615 | 0.08 |
| 1961 | 175 | #599 | 0.08 |
| 1960 | 171 | #602 | 0.08 |
| 1959 | 156 | #619 | 0.07 |
| 1958 | 198 | #549 | 0.09 |
| 1957 | 164 | #599 | 0.08 |
| 1956 | 204 | #523 | 0.10 |
| 1955 | 221 | #497 | 0.11 |
| 1954 | 222 | #484 | 0.11 |
| 1953 | 227 | #467 | 0.12 |
| 1952 | 238 | #456 | 0.12 |
| 1951 | 226 | #448 | 0.12 |
| 1950 | 248 | #426 | 0.14 |
| 1949 | 257 | #423 | 0.14 |
| 1948 | 277 | #408 | 0.16 |
| 1947 | 293 | #402 | 0.16 |
| 1946 | 298 | #379 | 0.18 |
| 1945 | 185 | #439 | 0.14 |
| 1944 | 226 | #400 | 0.17 |
| 1943 | 285 | #363 | 0.20 |
| 1942 | 273 | #369 | 0.20 |
| 1941 | 253 | #368 | 0.21 |
| 1940 | 240 | #369 | 0.21 |
| 1939 | 220 | #383 | 0.20 |
| 1938 | 256 | #348 | 0.23 |
| 1937 | 227 | #357 | 0.21 |
| 1936 | 227 | #360 | 0.22 |
| 1935 | 225 | #363 | 0.22 |
| 1934 | 266 | #335 | 0.26 |
| 1933 | 231 | #357 | 0.23 |
| 1932 | 260 | #342 | 0.25 |
| 1931 | 287 | #323 | 0.28 |
| 1930 | 275 | #335 | 0.25 |
| 1929 | 315 | #311 | 0.29 |
| 1928 | 295 | #329 | 0.27 |
| 1927 | 281 | #349 | 0.25 |
| 1926 | 270 | #354 | 0.24 |
| 1925 | 273 | #357 | 0.24 |
| 1924 | 265 | #371 | 0.23 |
| 1923 | 256 | #374 | 0.23 |
| 1922 | 273 | #361 | 0.25 |
| 1921 | 250 | #382 | 0.23 |
| 1920 | 216 | #402 | 0.20 |
| 1919 | 246 | #369 | 0.25 |
| 1918 | 222 | #400 | 0.22 |
| 1917 | 185 | #416 | 0.20 |
| 1916 | 215 | #376 | 0.24 |
| 1915 | 226 | #357 | 0.27 |
| 1914 | 132 | #416 | 0.20 |
| 1913 | 107 | #419 | 0.21 |
| 1912 | 92 | #402 | 0.21 |
| 1911 | 49 | #413 | 0.22 |
| 1910 | 48 | #375 | 0.25 |
| 1909 | 36 | #417 | 0.22 |
| 1908 | 36 | #394 | 0.23 |
| 1907 | 29 | #435 | 0.20 |
| 1906 | 33 | #376 | 0.25 |
| 1905 | 31 | #380 | 0.23 |
| 1904 | 32 | #357 | 0.25 |
| 1903 | 22 | #447 | 0.18 |
| 1902 | 28 | #378 | 0.23 |
| 1901 | 26 | #370 | 0.24 |
| 1900 | 21 | #531 | 0.14 |
| 1899 | 26 | #360 | 0.24 |
| 1898 | 28 | #373 | 0.23 |
| 1897 | 25 | #381 | 0.22 |
| 1896 | 25 | #395 | 0.21 |
| 1895 | 23 | #411 | 0.20 |
| 1894 | 27 | #356 | 0.23 |
| 1893 | 20 | #416 | 0.18 |
| 1892 | 26 | #379 | 0.21 |
| 1891 | 27 | #332 | 0.27 |
| 1890 | 13 | #561 | 0.12 |
| 1889 | 25 | #357 | 0.23 |
| 1888 | 22 | #403 | 0.18 |
| 1887 | 22 | #354 | 0.22 |
| 1886 | 16 | #466 | 0.14 |
| 1885 | 22 | #384 | 0.20 |
| 1884 | 32 | #312 | 0.28 |
| 1883 | 22 | #370 | 0.21 |
| 1882 | 33 | #304 | 0.29 |
| 1881 | 28 | #312 | 0.28 |
| 1880 | 30 | #312 | 0.27 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Sanford a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Sanford has been recorded only for boys: SSA lists no girls with the name in 146 years of records (it lists a name only in years with 5 or more babies of a sex).
Girls and boys named Sanford: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Sanford, and how old are they?
5,300 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 35% of the 15,044 Americans ever recorded as Sanford. The median Sanford alive today is 68 years old; half are between 56 and 77.
The 2020 Census counted 6,574 people named Sanford (27 women and girls, 6,547 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 6,417 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 838 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 2,560 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 1,100 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 423 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 205 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 170 |
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 Sanford born?
The states with the most babies named Sanford are New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, with 39% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 2,386 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Ohio | 1,035 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Pennsylvania | 604 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Georgia | 603 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| California | 559 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| New Jersey | 556 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| North Carolina | 528 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Illinois | 481 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Michigan | 467 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Alabama | 416 | not ranked | 1.2× |
Where Sanford is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Sanford is most over-represented in New York: since 1910 it was given 1.9 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 Sanford 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 Sanford
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 Sanford and names like it
- Compare Sanford and NedBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sSanford peaked in 1929.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Sanford since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Sanford: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1929The year the most babies were named Sanford.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Sanford alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with SMost given first.