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.
- #970 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6,805 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 15,044
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
15,044 babies have been named Sanford since 1880, making it today's #6805 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sanford has been recorded 15,044 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #6805 nationally and more common than 51% 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.
- #970 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #6,805 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 15,044 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sanford ranks #970 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,805 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 15,044 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #970 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6,805 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 15,044
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Sanford's 15,044 recorded births place it above 97.86% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
38 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Sanford compares
15,044 Top 7% higher than 93% of 13,930 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 (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,044 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 315 | 34 | 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 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
1920s is the heaviest window (2,694 births, 18% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Sanford sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Sanford most popular? ▼
Where is Sanford most popular? ▼
How long has the name Sanford been used? ▼
What names are similar to Sanford? ▼
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
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
Compare Sanford side by side: Sanford vs Santiago Sanford vs Santos Sanford vs Santino
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sanford
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sanford: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1929)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.