Holding steady, #10,695 for boys today.
Popularity of Ballard since 1880
Babies named Ballard per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1922, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Ballard's real moment was 1889.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 60 |
| 1890s | 24 |
| 1900s | 27 |
| 1910s | 193 |
| 1920s | 257 |
| 1930s | 194 |
| 1940s | 157 |
| 1950s | 129 |
| 1960s | 69 |
| 1970s | 24 |
| 1980s | 6 |
| 1990s | 7 |
| 2000s | 6 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 6 |
Meaning & origin
Ballard is a rare given name that has appeared consistently but infrequently in U.S. birth records since 1880. Its peak usage occurred in 1889, when it reached its highest rank. In the latest year of data, 2025, the name ranked 10,695, with approximately 1 in 284,679 boys receiving the name. The trajectory of Ballard has been stable over the decades, showing no dramatic rises or falls. While it has been recorded in every decade since the 1880s, it has never achieved widespread popularity, remaining a distinctive choice. The name's top states are not recorded, suggesting a scattered geographic distribution. Ballard's enduring but niche appeal may appeal to parents seeking a surname-style name with old-fashioned American roots.
Ballard is an English surname that has seen occasional use as a given name, primarily for boys. The surname likely has two possible origins: it may derive from the Middle English 'balled' meaning 'bald', possibly as a nickname for a bald man, or from a place name referring to a rounded hill. As a given name, Ballard has never been common but has maintained sporadic usage since the 1880s, particularly in the United States.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Bal, Bally
Variants: Ballard
Sibling names for Ballard
Names that share Ballard's style, for a brother or sister.
