Boy · #9,243 in 2026

Ballard

Name: Popularity of the name Ballard in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Ballard, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Ballard is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Ballard Berkeley (1904–1988), English actor Ballard Campbell, American historian Ballard MacDonald (1882–1935), American lyricist Ballard Smith (baseball), American sports executive, district attorney Ballard Smith, American politician

Current Rank

#9,243

Peak Rank

#1,120 (1922)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1880

First Year

2001

Last Year

1922

Peak Year

#1120

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Ballard

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Ballard

Ballard first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1922, when 40 Ballards were born — ranking #1,120 that year. As of 2026, Ballard ranks #9,243 for baby boys with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 1K Ballards have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Ballard

Phonetically similar names — useful when Ballard is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Bollard
Bullard
Blurred
Ballad
Balad
Balde
Balor
Ballare
Pollard
Pillard
Pillared
Paillard

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ballard

What does the name Ballard mean?

How popular is Ballard in 2026?

In 2026, Ballard ranks #9,243 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Ballard most popular?

Ballard reached its peak popularity in 1922, ranking #1,120 that year with 40 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Ballard most popular?

Ballard has historically been most popular in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Ballard.

Is Ballard a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Ballard is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Ballard?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Ballard include Gilford, Nicola, Isamu. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Ballard

Ballard is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Ballard's peak popularity came in 1922 when it ranked #1,120. Use the chart and map above to compare Ballard's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.