Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1953

Bradford

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #3,522 Trend ↓ Falling 23%

A male given name transferred from the surname, of mostly American usage.

Rank 2025
#3,522
among boys · ↓557 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
32
named Bradford · -24% vs 2024
How common
1 in 53,377
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1953
779 babies
All-time total
32,114
#657 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Bradford popularity over time

32,114 babies have been named Bradford since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 20 20 2 – #930
1890s – 59 59 6 +195% #598
1900s – 86 86 9 +46% #702
1910s – 513 513 51 +497% #635
1920s – 818 818 82 +59% #637
1930s – 998 998 100 +22% #500
1940s – 2,418 2,418 242 +142% #305
1950s 5 6,693 6,698 670 +177% #240
1960s 11 5,794 5,805 581 -13% #298
1970s 18 5,710 5,728 573 -1% #301
1980s 5 4,745 4,750 475 -17% #308
1990s – 2,292 2,292 229 -52% #581
2000s – 976 976 98 -57% #1,130
2010s – 689 689 69 -29% #1,821
2020s (to 2025) – 264 264 44 -36% #2,553

Where Bradford is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 30 0.02 outside top 500
2027 29 0.02 outside top 500
2028 28 0.02 outside top 500
2029 27 0.02 outside top 500
2030 26 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Bradford

Bradford is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,522 in 2025 with 32 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 32,114 American babies have been named Bradford. Its peak came in 1953, when 779 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Bradford stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Bradford?

The median living Bradford is about 53 years old; half are between 41 and 66. An estimated 25 thousand people named Bradford are alive in the United States today.

median 53 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Bradford year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 32 #3,522
2024 – – 42 #2,965
2023 – – 49 #2,662
2022 – – 42 #2,972
2021 – – 49 #2,631
2020 – – 50 #2,553
2019 – – 48 #2,663
2018 – – 67 #2,103
2017 – – 70 #2,018
2016 – – 68 #2,068
2015 – – 63 #2,171
2014 – – 77 #1,886
2013 – – 64 #2,093
2012 – – 81 #1,821
2011 – – 73 #1,907
2010 – – 78 #1,852
2009 – – 76 #1,895
2008 – – 57 #2,296
2007 – – 99 #1,578
2006 – – 95 #1,552
2005 – – 97 #1,486
2004 – – 99 #1,425
2003 – – 102 #1,344
2002 – – 125 #1,140
2001 – – 103 #1,284
2000 – – 123 #1,130
1995 – – 216 #727
1990 – – 304 #581
1985 – – 453 #398
1980 – – 630 #308
1975 8 #6,553 555 #323
1970 – – 612 #318
1965 – – 581 #316
1960 – – 667 #298
1955 5 #5,912 700 #267
1950 – – 576 #275
1945 – – 184 #440
1940 – – 126 #517
1935 – – 92 #606
1930 – – 88 #662
1925 – – 76 #755
1920 – – 74 #767
1915 – – 69 #707
1910 – – 8 #1,211
1905 – – 11 #747
1900 – – 13 #702
1895 – – 11 #642
1890 – – – –
1885 – – 5 #954
1880 – – 5 #930

Famous people named Bradford

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Bradford Dillman Bradford Dillman American actor (1930–2018) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Bradford, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Bradford?

The median living Bradford is about 53 years old. Half of all living Bradfords are between 41 and 66 years old.

How many people named Bradford are alive today?

An estimated 25 thousand people named Bradford are alive in the United States, based on 32,114 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Bradford mean?

A male given name transferred from the surname, of mostly American usage.

How popular is the name Bradford in 2025?

Bradford ranked #3,522 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 32 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Bradford?

32,114 babies have been named Bradford in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Bradford most popular?

Bradford peaked in 1953, when 779 newborns received the name.

Is Bradford a boy or girl name?

Bradford is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Bradford rising or falling?

Bradford is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Bradford become more popular?

Bradford is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 26 boys named Bradford in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Bradford?

Well-known people named Bradford include Bradford Dillman (actor).

Names like Bradford

Names that sound and feel close to Bradford: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Bradford with similar names → More names starting with B →