Bradford

Bradford: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “broad ford”
Origin: Old English
Say it: BRAD-furd · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

From an English surname and place name derived from Old English brad and ford. It is a transferred place-name surname in given-name use.

English names Names meaning water Names meaning nature Surname-style names Classic names

How popular is Bradford?

202412.3 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Bradford in 202441

2024 rank#2,992 boys

Peak year1953

Total US babies since 188032,081

Bradford is steady now but far below its 1953 peak.

Names like Bradford

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Wesleywestern meadow · Old English
Westonwestern settlement · Old English
Blakeblack; pale · Old English
Oakleyoak clearing · Old English
Edwardwealthy guardian · Old English
Ashtonash tree town · Old English
Kingstonking's town · Old English
Brandonbroom-covered hill · Old English

Bradford questions

What does the name Bradford mean?

Bradford means "broad ford". It comes from Old English. From an English surname and place name derived from Old English brad and ford. It is a transferred place-name surname in given-name use.

Is Bradford a boy or girl name?

Bradford is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Bradford?

41 US babies were named Bradford in 2024. Its peak year was 1953.

How do you pronounce Bradford?

Bradford is usually pronounced BRAD-furd.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.