first name
BRADFORD
of 53,615 first names recorded in the 2020 Census
Of the 22,735 people named Bradford, 85.8% reported their origin as White, 8% as Black and 2.8% as two or more races. Virtually all are male (99.8%). These count how people described themselves on the 2020 Census, not where the name comes from.
What should your name go on next?
Thanks! We'll make the most-wanted one next.
Bradford peaked in 1953, when 779 babies got the name.
At least 32,114 babies have been given the name since 1880. Years SSA withheld, because fewer than 5 were born, are skipped rather than drawn as zero. * 2025 is the newest year published and it undercounts: a card application is filed some time after a birth.
Bradford by decade
Among all names given to American babies, its best decade was the 1950s, when it ranked #604. The largest share of babies named Bradford, 34.7%, were born during the baby boom (1946–1964).
Rank counts both sexes together, among every name SSA recorded that decade; the number under it is births. The 2020s run only to 2025. Generation years follow Pew Research Center, which has not named a generation after 2012.
Where Bradford is most common
Compared with all babies born in each state since 1910, Bradford has been most common in Massachusetts (4.1×), Rhode Island (3.6×), and Maine (2.5×), and least common in Arizona (0.31×).
26,663 births recorded by state, 1910–2025. 2× means twice as common as nationally. States with fewer than 30 such births are left blank, and SSA withholds any year with fewer than 5 in a state, so small states read low.
Either side of Bradford
Also a last name
As a last name, Bradford ranks #636 of 156,621, with 51,912 people. See Bradford as a last name
Compare
🔎 BRADFORD 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦⬜⬜ 1 in 13,285 Americans Rarer than 75% of us Peaked in 1953 with 779 babies Beat that 👇 https://howrareismy.name/first/bradford/