boys' name ★ peaked 2021

Ford

Meaning A male given name transferred from the surname Gender Boy Rank 2025 #474 Trend ↑ Rising 13%

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Rank 2025
#474
among boys · ↑96 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
642
named Ford · +27% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,661
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
707 babies
All-time total
11,026
#1,140 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Ford popularity over time

11,026 babies have been named Ford 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 – 82 82 8 – #487
1890s – 115 115 12 +40% #442
1900s – 135 135 14 +17% #473
1910s – 694 694 69 +414% #483
1920s – 737 737 74 +6% #588
1930s – 353 353 35 -52% #961
1940s – 445 445 45 +26% #882
1950s – 418 418 42 -6% #984
1960s – 267 267 27 -36% #1,325
1970s – 156 156 16 -42% #1,669
1980s – 169 169 17 +8% #2,394
1990s – 330 330 33 +95% #1,897
2000s – 626 626 63 +90% #1,631
2010s 17 2,766 2,783 278 +345% #562
2020s (to 2025) – 3,716 3,716 619 +123% #439

Where Ford 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 664 0.39 #465
2027 683 0.40 #457
2028 699 0.41 #448
2029 714 0.42 #441
2030 726 0.43 #437

Where Ford is most popular

Boys named Ford per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.355 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Idaho, and Arizona.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Ford born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Utah 112 1.17 +230%
Idaho 31 0.757 +113%
Arizona 107 0.654 +84%
Colorado 83 0.643 +81%
Michigan 125 0.610 +72%
Nebraska 24 0.552 +55%
Tennessee 95 0.526 +48%
Iowa 36 0.522 +47%
Oregon 38 0.501 +41%
Illinois 127 0.497 +40%
North Carolina 123 0.482 +36%
Missouri 66 0.476 +34%
Georgia 118 0.466 +31%
Washington 76 0.465 +31%
Indiana 73 0.455 +28%
Connecticut 30 0.443 +25%
Minnesota 54 0.440 +24%
Ohio 109 0.411 +16%
Oklahoma 35 0.396 +11%
Arkansas 25 0.395 +11%
Kansas 27 0.394 +11%
South Carolina 39 0.377 +6%
Pennsylvania 100 0.377 +6%
California 338 0.370 ≈ national
Texas 323 0.367 ≈ national
Virginia 67 0.353 ≈ national
Massachusetts 46 0.335 -6%
Wisconsin 39 0.329 -7%
Alabama 34 0.311 -12%
Kentucky 31 0.309 -13%
Florida 145 0.306 -14%
Louisiana 31 0.303 -15%
Montana 5 0.284 -20%
New Jersey 53 0.263 -26%
Nevada 15 0.263 -26%
New York 109 0.252 -29%
Maryland 23 0.193 -46%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Ford

Ford is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #474 in 2025 with 642 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 11,026 American babies have been named Ford. Its peak came in 2021, when 707 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Ford stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ford?

The median living Ford is about 7 years old; half are between 3 and 15. An estimated 8,500 people named Ford are alive in the United States today.

median 7 020406080100

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

Ford 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 – – 642 #474
2024 – – 507 #570
2023 – – 564 #523
2022 – – 649 #477
2021 – – 707 #439
2020 – – 647 #459
2019 6 #14,376 497 #562
2018 6 #14,401 417 #635
2017 – – 344 #711
2016 – – 342 #714
2015 5 #17,345 327 #741
2014 – – 245 #885
2013 – – 183 #1,048
2012 – – 171 #1,090
2011 – – 139 #1,245
2010 – – 101 #1,566
2009 – – 94 #1,673
2008 – – 87 #1,744
2007 – – 66 #2,075
2006 – – 88 #1,631
2005 – – 62 #2,015
2004 – – 37 #2,803
2003 – – 54 #2,085
2002 – – 45 #2,312
2001 – – 41 #2,396
2000 – – 52 #1,975
1995 – – 36 #2,226
1990 – – 19 #3,212
1985 – – 17 #2,871
1980 – – 12 #3,481
1975 – – 15 #2,676
1970 – – 27 #1,669
1965 – – 28 #1,464
1960 – – 36 #1,325
1955 – – 26 #1,515
1950 – – 41 #1,109
1945 – – 38 #1,044
1940 – – 29 #1,257
1935 – – 35 #1,106
1930 – – 47 #994
1925 – – 88 #687
1920 – – 57 #916
1915 – – 133 #483
1910 – – 16 #765
1905 – – 12 #717
1900 – – 24 #473
1895 – – 8 #820
1890 – – 17 #442
1885 – – 9 #664
1880 – – 8 #706

Famous people named Ford

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

  1. 1 Ford Madox Ford Ford Madox Ford English writer and publisher (1873–1939) 19th century
  2. 2 Ford Madox Brown Ford Madox Brown British painter (1821–1893) 19th century
  3. 3 Ford Sterling Ford Sterling American actor and comedian (1883–1939) 19th century
  4. 4 Ford Konno Ford Konno Japanese–American swimmer (born 1933) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Ford?

The median living Ford is about 7 years old. Half of all living Fords are between 3 and 15 years old.

How many people named Ford are alive today?

An estimated 8,500 people named Ford are alive in the United States, based on 11,026 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ford mean?

A male given name transferred from the surname.

How popular is the name Ford in 2025?

Ford ranked #474 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 642 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ford?

11,026 babies have been named Ford in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ford most popular?

Ford peaked in 2021, when 707 newborns received the name.

Is Ford a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Ford rising or falling?

Ford is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ford become more popular?

Ford is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 726 boys named Ford in 2030, which would rank around #437. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ford?

Well-known people named Ford include Ford Madox Ford (writer), Ford Madox Brown (painter), Ford Sterling (actor).

Names like Ford

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

Compare Ford with similar names → More names starting with F →