Alford

Where Alford comes from

Alford hasn't made it into the dictionaries we draw on, and nobody well known enough for an encyclopedia has carried it yet — so for now its story is the one the SSA record tells. Names that spell a familiar sound a new way often live here for a while before anyone writes them down.

Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #482 among boys — 14 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1881
    Peak, #416
    17 babies named Alford — more than any year before or since.
  3. 1895
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #872.
  4. 1948
    Alford Corriette born
    West Indian cricketer
  5. 2000
    Alford T. Welch born
    Islamic studies scholar
In the dictionary

No dictionary entry for this spelling — which is its own kind of rare.

Namesakes
  • Alford T. Welch · Islamic studies scholar, born 2000
  • Alford Corriette · West Indian cricketer, 1948–2023
  • Alford L. McLaughlin · Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient, 1928–1977

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.