Holding steady.
Popularity of Telford since 1903
Babies named Telford per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1937, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Telford's real moment was 1903.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 5 |
| 1910s | 68 |
| 1920s | 89 |
| 1930s | 72 |
| 1940s | 52 |
| 1950s | 35 |
| 1960s | 22 |
| 1970s | 5 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Telford is a rare first name, first recorded in 1903. It reached its peak usage in that same year, when it ranked 1268 in the U.S. Since then, its usage has been extremely sporadic or absent from the top 1000. The name is of English origin, derived from a surname meaning 'iron ford', famously borne by civil engineer Thomas Telford. Telford has never appeared in the top states list, indicating its limited geographic spread. Its trajectory has been stable at very low usage, with no modern revival.
Telford is derived from a surname of Old English origin. It combines the elements 'tēl' meaning 'iron' and 'ford' meaning 'ford', likely referring to a ford where iron was worked or transported. The name is most famously associated with the engineer Thomas Telford (1757-1834). As a given name, it has been in occasional use since the late 19th century, particularly in Scotland.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Tel
Sibling names for Telford
Names that share Telford's style, for a brother or sister.
