Hansford
Masculine
Hansford is an English surname used as a boy's first name in the nineteenth century. It opens with Hans, the German and Dutch John, whose most famous American bearer was a boy on silver skates.
How old is the name Hansford?
Hansford first appears in US birth records in 1882 — 143 years ago. The typical Hansford alive today was born around 1929, making them about 96 years old. About 100 people named Hansford are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Hansford most popular?
Hansford peaked in 1882, reaching #837 nationally. See the whole 1882 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Hansford
Mary Mapes Dodge wrote Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates in New York, working from books because she had not yet been to Holland; inside it she told the story of a little Dutch boy who kept the sea out by holding his finger in a leaking dike. The Dutch had never heard of him, but so many visitors asked that statues of him were eventually put up. Hansford itself came from an English family name. It is sturdy and unusual.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Hansford is an English surname, apparently from a place, and nothing records which place or what the first part meant.
Pronouncing Hansford
HANS-ferd
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
Nicknames for Hansford
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1882
- Most boys named
- 191722 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #837reached in 1882
- Change vs 1973
- −16.7%5 in 1974, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Hansfords among us
people named Hansford are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Hansford sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Comes with ready short forms.
- Almost certain to be the only one.
- Sturdy and distinctive.
- People will write Hanford.
- It reads as a name of a much earlier generation.
- It may be taken for a surname.
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Hansford
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Hansfords are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 100 people named Hansford are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Hansford in 2025?
- Hansford is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Hansford with classmates?
- Hansford will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More H names
The most-given names starting with H, all years combined.
Henry#5 · Harold#991 · Harry#775 · Howard#1002 · Hunter#130 · Herbert#2641 · Herman#2363 · Harvey#251
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Hansford? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Hansford and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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