Raeford
Masculine
Raeford is the name of a small town in the North Carolina Sandhills, and it was made by joining two men's surnames. As a boy's name it belongs to the early and middle twentieth century.
How old is the name Raeford?
Raeford first appears in US birth records in 1914 — 111 years ago. The typical Raeford alive today was born around 1941, making them about 84 years old. About 200 people named Raeford are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Raeford most popular?
Raeford peaked in 1941, reaching #1485 nationally. See the whole 1941 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From McRae + Williford to Raeford
The story of Raeford
Raeford, the seat of Hoke County in North Carolina, is said to take its name from two local businessmen, John McRae and A. A. Williford, the name built from the Rae of one and the ford of the other. As a first name Raeford appears among North Carolina boys and those of neighboring states in the early and middle twentieth century, and nothing records whether a given family was honoring the town or a relative.
Meaningscholars disagree
From the North Carolina town of Raeford, or a family surname
The town's name joins parts of two local surnames. An American Raeford may honor the town or a family who took the name; nothing records which.
How the name formed
- McRae + Williford
- Raeford
Pronouncing Raeford
RAY-ferd
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
Nicknames for Raeford
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
- 1914
- Most boys named
- 194121 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1485reached in 1941
- Change vs 1975
- 0.0%7 in 1983, from 7
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.
Raefords among us
people named Raeford 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
Raeford 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
- A real Southern place name.
- Comes with Ford as a ready short form.
- Almost certain to be the only one.
- People will write Rayford.
- It reads as an older Southern name.
- Its meaning is a place rather than a word.
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Raeford
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Raefords are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Raeford are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Raeford in 2025?
- Raeford is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Raeford with classmates?
- Raeford will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More R names
The most-given names starting with R, all years combined.
Robert#92 · Richard#234 · Ronald#637 · Ryan#99 · Raymond#394 · Roger#832 · Ralph#1046 · Roy#525
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Raeford? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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