Boy · #6,255 in 2026

Stafford

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

Stafford is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about 15 miles (24 km) south of Stoke-on-Trent, 15 miles (24 km) north of Wolverhampton and 24 miles (39 km) north-west of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021 census, and is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Stafford, which had a population of 136,837 in 2021.

Current Rank

#6,255

Peak Rank

#764 (1959)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

+4%

1882

First Year

2026

Last Year

1959

Peak Year

#764

Peak Rank

Total Count

124

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Stafford

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 Stafford

Stafford first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1882, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1959, when 53 Staffords were born — ranking #1,061 that year. As of 2026, Stafford ranks #6,255 for baby boys with 14 births, holding steady (+4%). In total, more than 3K Staffords 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 Stafford

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

Stanford
Staffer
Stamford
Safford
Strafford
Stared
Stored
Suffered
Steward
Starred
Staggered
Stuffer

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Stafford

What does the name Stafford mean?

How popular is Stafford in 2026?

In 2026, Stafford ranks #6,255 among boys' names in the U.S., with 14 babies given the name that year.

When was Stafford most popular?

Stafford reached its peak popularity in 1959, ranking #764 that year with 53 babies given the name.

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

Stafford has historically been most popular in Virginia, Florida, Louisiana. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Stafford.

Is Stafford a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Stafford?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Stafford include Ebenezer, Brien, Darrian. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Stafford

Stafford is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1882 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Stafford's peak popularity came in 1959 when it ranked #764. Use the chart and map above to compare Stafford'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.