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Belford
How to Pronounce Belford
Pronounced BEL-ferd /ˈbɛl.fərd/Medium
Meaning: Belford is an English surname adopted as a given name, drawn from a place name. The elements point to a ford - a river crossing - by a notable feature, giving it a landscape meaning typical of old locational surnames.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Belford is an English place and surname turned given name, built on a ford, an old word for a shallow river crossing, joined to a first element naming the spot. Surnames like this were fashionable first names for boys in the early twentieth century, and Belford's faint peak falls in the early nineteen-twenties. A boy named Belford then was born about a century ago.
It never became common as a first name, staying a rare, dignified choice that faded with the surname-name fashion of its day. It reads as sturdily old-fashioned now.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Belford mean?
It comes from an English place and surname meaning a ford, a river crossing, by a named feature.
How do you pronounce Belford?
It is said BEL-ferd, two syllables with the stress on the first.
Is Belford a boy or girl name?
Belford is used here as a boy's name.
How popular is Belford?
It has always been rare in the United States, most seen in the early twentieth century with a faint peak in the early nineteen-twenties.