Boy · #5,003 in 2026

Melford

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

Current Rank

#5,003

Peak Rank

#1,026 (1921)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1904

First Year

1982

Last Year

1921

Peak Year

#1026

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

The Story of Melford

Melford first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1904, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1921: 46 births, good for #1,026 nationwide. About 28% of every Melford on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Melford last appeared in the published SSA data in 1982, with 7 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1900s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Where is Melford most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

JM
33%
Nigeria
32%
United States
19%
South Africa
10%
United Kingdom
5%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Melford

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

Milford
Mulford
Maillard
Welford
Millard
Mullered
Mallard
Wilford
Meffert
Milord
Willford
Mollard

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Melford

What does the name Melford mean?

Melford is a boy's name that has been used in U.S. records since 1904. Behind the Name doesn't list a specific etymology, but the name has remained in use across multiple decades.

How popular is Melford in 2026?

In 2026, Melford ranks #5,003 among boys' names in the U.S., with 7 babies given the name that year.

When was Melford most popular?

Melford reached its peak popularity in 1921, ranking #1,026 that year with 46 babies given the name.

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

Melford has historically been most popular in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Melford.

Is Melford a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Melford?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Melford include Wendall, Isa, Ric. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Melford

Melford is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1904 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Melford's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #1,026. Use the chart and map above to compare Melford'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.