Given name & surname
Medford
“from the meadow near the ford”
Medford is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the meadow near the ford.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the meadow near the ford.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1911. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Medford through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 665
- 665 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1924
- 35 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 1980. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 35 in 1924. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 232 as a first name in 2020; 3,859 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.
Medford’s family of names
Medford has a related form in Meadferd. Medford has a related form in Meadferde. Medford has a related form in Meadford.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Mitfordvariant · English
- Meadferdevariant
- Meadferdvariant
- Meadfurdevariant
- Meadfurdvariant
- Meadfordevariant
- Meadfordvariant
- Medferdevariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Similar names
If you love Medford, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Morley
“woman from the moor” · “from the meadow on the moor”
92% boys · 8% girls
Mansfield
“from the field near the small river”
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Harwood
“from the hare's forest”
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Sherwood
“from the bright forest”
>99% boys
Boswell
“from the spring near the forest”
>99% boys
Holmes
“from the river island”
>99% boys
Glade
“from the meadow in the C woods” · “from the clearing in the woods”
>99% boys
Meril
“of the shining sea”
87% boys · 13% girls