Boys' name · since 1882
Stafford
Stafford has 2,850 recorded births since 1882 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1959 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2,625 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,853 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,850
- born since 1882
- 1950s
- peak decade
2,850 babies have been named Stafford since 1882, making it today's #3853 boys' name.
Stafford has 2,850 recorded births among boys since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3853 as of the latest data, more common than 72% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #2,625 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,853 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 2,850 born since 1882
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Stafford ranks #2,625 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,853 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,850 born since 1882, peaking in the 1950s.
- #2,625 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,853 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,850
- born since 1882
- 1950s
- peak decade
Stafford's 2,850 recorded births place it above 94.22% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
11 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Louisiana.
How Stafford compares
2,850 Top 18% higher than 82% 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
Stafford's all-time total is 8x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Stafford | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,850 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 53 | 34 | 22,252 |
Stafford's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Stafford's full recorded timeline at 1963, 41% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 59% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1959 peak of 53 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Stafford popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 53
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Stafford by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (419 births, 15% of the file).
1950s was Stafford's strongest decade.
419 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Stafford births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 18
1880s
18 births
- 1900s 31
1900s
31 births
- 1910s
1910s
244 births
- 1920s
1920s
295 births
- 1930s
1930s
248 births
- 1940s
1940s
305 births
- 1950s
1950s
419 births
- 1960s
1960s
398 births
- 1970s
1970s
213 births
- 1980s
1980s
188 births
- 1990s
1990s
168 births
- 2000s 92
2000s
92 births
- 2010s 131
2010s
131 births
- 2020s 100
2020s
100 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 419 births (15% of all-time use).
How Stafford 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 Stafford's total volume
Stafford by state
Where Stafford concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Louisiana | | 247 | 8.7% |
| #2 | Virginia | | 120 | 4.2% |
| #3 | Texas | | 33 | 1.2% |
| #4 | New York | | 21 | 0.7% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 18 | 0.6% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 15 | 0.5% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 12 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 5 | 0.2% |
247 of 2,850 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 11 reporting states.
Stafford appears in 11 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Stafford? ▼
Where does Stafford sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Stafford most popular? ▼
Where is Stafford most popular? ▼
How long has the name Stafford been used? ▼
What names are similar to Stafford? ▼
What to do with Stafford's data
- Stafford's decade-level peak was the 1950s (419 total births); usage has since declined to 100 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Louisiana records the most Staffords (247 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Louisiana names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Stafford
Nearby Names Like Stafford
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Stafford
Compare Stafford side by side: Stafford vs Stanley Stafford vs Stacy Stafford vs Stacey
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Stafford
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Stafford: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1959)
Similar record span (~143 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, 1882–2025 (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 Stafford 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.