Sanford
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- SAN-ferd
- Origin
- English
- US rank, 2025
- #6,799 for boys
Sanford is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “sandy ford”. In 2025 it ranked 6,799th for boys in the US (12 babies).
What does Sanford mean?
English: English place name and surname
“sandy ford”
From several English places named for a sandy river crossing.
Is Sanford a girl's or a boy's name?
Sanford is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 12 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Sanford in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 6,799th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 12 about 1 in 140,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 36% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 12 boys in the US were named Sanford, making it the 6,799th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,231st. Its busiest year was 1929, with 315 boys.
Half of all the boys named Sanford in the US since 1880 were born between 1925 and 1955, the years shaded on the chart below.
Sanford in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #6,799 |
| 2024 | 12 | #6,827 |
| 2023 | 8 | #8,916 |
| 2022 | 19 | #5,015 |
| 2021 | 13 | #6,330 |
| 2020 | 17 | #5,231 |
| 2019 | 18 | #5,149 |
| 2018 | 15 | #5,766 |
| 2017 | 12 | #6,681 |
| 2016 | 13 | #6,344 |
| 2015 | 13 | #6,320 |
| 2014 | 12 | #6,627 |
| 2013 | 7 | #9,650 |
| 2012 | 14 | #5,995 |
| 2011 | 6 | #10,801 |
| 2010 | 9 | #8,133 |
| 2009 | 9 | #8,305 |
| 2008 | 17 | #5,244 |
| 2007 | 11 | #7,090 |
| 2006 | 12 | #6,455 |
| 2005 | 14 | #5,572 |
| 2004 | 14 | #5,487 |
| 2003 | 10 | #6,708 |
| 2002 | 14 | #5,124 |
| 2001 | 13 | #5,383 |
| 2000 | 18 | #4,198 |
| 1999 | 15 | #4,531 |
| 1998 | 16 | #4,193 |
| 1997 | 17 | #3,872 |
| 1996 | 14 | #4,390 |
| 1995 | 16 | #3,848 |
| 1994 | 20 | #3,320 |
| 1993 | 18 | #3,495 |
| 1992 | 23 | #2,903 |
| 1991 | 28 | #2,463 |
| 1990 | 32 | #2,209 |
| 1989 | 32 | #2,148 |
| 1988 | 28 | #2,192 |
| 1987 | 27 | #2,165 |
| 1986 | 32 | #1,871 |
| 1985 | 27 | #2,070 |
| 1984 | 25 | #2,097 |
| 1983 | 45 | #1,398 |
| 1982 | 50 | #1,319 |
| 1981 | 30 | #1,864 |
| 1980 | 43 | #1,449 |
| 1979 | 29 | #1,867 |
| 1978 | 41 | #1,452 |
| 1977 | 43 | #1,390 |
| 1976 | 46 | #1,304 |
| 1975 | 44 | #1,304 |
| 1974 | 56 | #1,099 |
| 1973 | 80 | #894 |
| 1972 | 77 | #911 |
| 1971 | 112 | #772 |
| 1970 | 97 | #823 |
| 1969 | 109 | #750 |
| 1968 | 125 | #669 |
| 1967 | 132 | #650 |
| 1966 | 130 | #649 |
| 1965 | 101 | #736 |
| 1964 | 141 | #651 |
| 1963 | 140 | #658 |
| 1962 | 158 | #614 |
| 1961 | 175 | #597 |
| 1960 | 171 | #600 |
| 1959 | 156 | #619 |
| 1958 | 198 | #546 |
| 1957 | 164 | #599 |
| 1956 | 204 | #523 |
| 1955 | 221 | #495 |
| 1954 | 222 | #484 |
| 1953 | 227 | #467 |
| 1952 | 238 | #456 |
| 1951 | 226 | #447 |
| 1950 | 248 | #425 |
| 1949 | 257 | #423 |
| 1948 | 277 | #408 |
| 1947 | 293 | #401 |
| 1946 | 298 | #378 |
| 1945 | 185 | #439 |
| 1944 | 226 | #400 |
| 1943 | 285 | #363 |
| 1942 | 273 | #368 |
| 1941 | 253 | #367 |
| 1940 | 240 | #369 |
| 1939 | 220 | #383 |
| 1938 | 256 | #348 |
| 1937 | 227 | #357 |
| 1936 | 227 | #359 |
| 1935 | 225 | #363 |
| 1934 | 266 | #333 |
| 1933 | 231 | #356 |
| 1932 | 260 | #341 |
| 1931 | 287 | #323 |
| 1930 | 275 | #335 |
| 1929 | 315 | #311 |
| 1928 | 295 | #329 |
| 1927 | 281 | #349 |
| 1926 | 270 | #353 |
| 1925 | 273 | #356 |
| 1924 | 265 | #370 |
| 1923 | 256 | #373 |
| 1922 | 273 | #361 |
| 1921 | 250 | #382 |
| 1920 | 216 | #401 |
| 1919 | 246 | #369 |
| 1918 | 222 | #400 |
| 1917 | 185 | #415 |
| 1916 | 215 | #375 |
| 1915 | 226 | #356 |
| 1914 | 132 | #415 |
| 1913 | 107 | #418 |
| 1912 | 92 | #401 |
| 1911 | 49 | #409 |
| 1910 | 48 | #370 |
| 1909 | 36 | #408 |
| 1908 | 36 | #389 |
| 1907 | 29 | #429 |
| 1906 | 33 | #363 |
| 1905 | 31 | #370 |
| 1904 | 32 | #354 |
| 1903 | 22 | #430 |
| 1902 | 28 | #373 |
| 1901 | 26 | #359 |
| 1900 | 21 | #518 |
| 1899 | 26 | #355 |
| 1898 | 28 | #364 |
| 1897 | 25 | #375 |
| 1896 | 25 | #388 |
| 1895 | 23 | #399 |
| 1894 | 27 | #349 |
| 1893 | 20 | #401 |
| 1892 | 26 | #375 |
| 1891 | 27 | #325 |
| 1890 | 13 | #533 |
| 1889 | 25 | #351 |
| 1888 | 22 | #398 |
| 1887 | 22 | #352 |
| 1886 | 16 | #451 |
| 1885 | 22 | #380 |
| 1884 | 32 | #306 |
| 1883 | 22 | #359 |
| 1882 | 33 | #298 |
| 1881 | 28 | #307 |
| 1880 | 30 | #305 |
Nicknames for Sanford
- Sandy 22 boys in the UK in 2025
Names like Sanford
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Stanley, Edward, Howard, Alfred, Louis, Leonard, Warren, Forrest, William, Arthur, Lawrence, Roland
More English names
Lily, Evelyn, Hudson, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Riley, Oakley, Mason, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Sanford: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/sanford, updated 20 October 2026.