Given name & surname
Alford
“one who counsels the elves”
Alford is a variant of Alfred. One English interpretation is “one who counsels the elves.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Alford is a variant of Alfred. One English interpretation is “one who counsels the elves.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Alford is a variant of Alfred. An origin associated with Alfred is Old English.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Alford through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,795
- 4,790 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 1930
- 106 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2019. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 106 in 1930. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,680 as a first name in 2020; 29,646 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Alford’s family of names
Alford has a related form in Alfred. In English usage, Alford as a surname has a related form in ALLFORD. In English usage, Alford as a surname has a related form in ALVORD.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Alford
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Alford, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Gaylord
“one who is high-spirited”
>99% boys
Sanford
“from the sandy crossing”
>99% boys
Winford
“from a friend's ford”
>99% boys
Darold
“the ruler of an army”
>99% boys
Author
>99% boys
Armond
“of the army; a soldier”
>99% boys
Wilford
“from the willow ford”
>99% boys
Arvil
>99% boys