How Many People Are Named Buford?
An estimated 3,258 people in the United States have the first name Buford. It is predominantly male (99.0%). The average bearer is 71 years old, and Buford peaked in popularity in 1921 with 334 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Buford as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Buford paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Buford is overwhelmingly male, 110 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 71, Buford is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1965.
Estimated Living Americans
3,258
About 1 in 105,204 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
99.0% confidence
Average Age
71
years old
Peak Year
1921
334 births
Total Registered
10,958
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Buford
Buford is predominantly male (99.0%), though 110 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Buford as a male name
Ranked #12,525 in 2023
5 male births in 2023
Peak: 1921 (334 births)
Buford as a female name
Ranked #5,643 in 1952
5 female births in 1952
Peak: 1926 (10 births)
Buford: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Buford span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 2,799 babies were registered. Buford has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Buford by Decade
How has Buford tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Buford by State
Birth registrations for Buford span all 21 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Tennessee, Texas, Alabama. The lowest are in Wisconsin, California, Ohio. On average, about 385 Bufords were registered per state.
Buford + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Buford as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Buford
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
Buford: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Buford?
We estimate approximately 3,258 people named Buford are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 105,204 Americans share this first name.
Is Buford a common name?
Buford is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 95.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 10,958 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Buford most popular?
Buford reached peak popularity in 1921, when 334 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Buford is approximately 71 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Buford a male name?
Buford is predominantly male. 99.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Buford Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Buford Smith, Buford Johnson, Buford Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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