Ford
Torn between Ford and another name? Compare them side by side →
Meaning
place name/surname meaning 'river crossing'
The story
Ford is the river crossing, the shallow place where the road goes through, and its American record wears the name's three lives plainly: a real early-century presence, about 700 a decade in the 1910s and 1920s while the surname was becoming the most famous badge in American industry, a long mid-century rest, and the surname wave's late arrival, about 630 in the 2000s, 2,800 in the 2010s, and already 3,700 so far this decade, past the full 2010s with years to run. It goes to boys almost absolutely: about 10,900 to 17. A president carried the surname through the 1970s, and a beloved science-fiction comedy gave it to a hero from quite another planet, none of which the certificate needs: the crossing is the meaning, the place where getting to the other side is possible on foot. The record keeps finding it.
How popular is Ford around the world?
In the United States, 3,716 babies were named Ford between 2020 and 2025.
Ford is on the official records of the United States, Scotland, Canada, South Australia and England and Wales.
United States
1 in 5,900
In the United States, 3,716 babies were named Ford between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Ford peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Scotland
1 in 9,200
In Scotland, 5 boys named Ford were registered in 2024, the 535th most common name among boys that year.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Canada
1 in 17,000
In Canada, 22 boys named Ford were born in 2024, ranked 1,105th among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 boy was registered as Ford in 2017.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
England and Wales
1 in 39,000
In England and Wales, 15 boys named Ford were born in 2025, ranked 1,705th among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
New Zealand
last on record 2006
Ford is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ireland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Ford
Most people given the name Ford in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Ford deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Ford truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Ford fits with your family’s names and surname.
Does Ford fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Ford to your family’s tree →