Fordham
A topographical name derived from the Old English "ford" and "ham" meaning "ford village".
Name Census estimates that about 67 living Americans carry the first name Fordham. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fordham today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fordham births was 2020 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fordham. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Fordham. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
67
~ 1 in 5,115,736 Americans
Peak year
2020
11 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,330
Tracked since 2015
Popularity
Fordham: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fordham from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 41 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Fordham remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fordham by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Fordham during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fordham
The given name Fordham is believed to have originated from the Old English language, specifically deriving from the combination of two words: "ford" and "ham." The word "ford" referred to a shallow place where a river or stream could be crossed, while "ham" meant a homestead or village.
This name likely emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in England, which spanned from the 5th to the 11th centuries. It was initially used as a locational surname, referring to individuals who hailed from a settlement situated near a ford or a crossing over a river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fordham can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of lands and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions several locations with variations of the name, such as Fordeham and Fordham, indicating the presence of settlements near fords or river crossings.
In terms of historical references, the name Fordham appeared in various medieval documents and records, often associated with landowners or prominent figures residing in areas bearing the name. For instance, a man named John de Fordham was recorded as a landowner in Essex, England, in the 13th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Fordham. One of the earliest was Robert Fordham (c. 1460-1529), an English prelate who served as the Bishop of Elphin in Ireland during the Tudor period.
Another prominent figure was Samuel Fordham (1632-1681), an English Puritan clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious subjects and served as a minister in several parishes.
In the 18th century, Edward Fordham (1737-1809) gained recognition as a successful merchant and philanthropist in London, contributing generously to various charitable causes and institutions.
Moving into the 19th century, George Fordham (1837-1919) was a prominent English jockey and horse trainer, renowned for his skills in the sport of horse racing and his association with several notable racehorses of the era.
Finally, in the 20th century, Artur Fordham (1894-1956) was a Polish-British artist and sculptor, known for his modernist works and his contributions to the London art scene during the interwar period.
While the name Fordham may have evolved and spread to various parts of the world over time, its roots can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon era in England, where it originated as a locational name associated with settlements near river crossings or fords.
People
Fordham + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fordham as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fordham: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fordham?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 67 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fordham going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,115,736 US residents.
Is Fordham a common name?
We classify Fordham as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 67 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fordham most popular?
The single biggest year for Fordham was 2020, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fordham is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Fordham in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fordham a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fordham in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Fordham still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fordham in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Fordham can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Fordham?
Want to know how many people share the name Fordham? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.