Fun Facts About the Name Raeford
- 613 babies named Raeford: U.S. records list 613 babies given the name Raeford from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Raeford Mean?
Raeford is an English name, best explained as a habitational surname taken from a place name. Its second element is Old English ford, a shallow crossing where a river or stream can be waded. The first element appears to be Old English rā, "roe deer," the same word preserved in Modern English "roe." On that reading, the original sense was a ford associated with roe deer - a crossing where the animals were found or used.
The first element is not fully certain. A place name written this way could also rest on a personal name, or on the Old Norse element rá, a boundary marker or corner post. The -ford ending, by contrast, is clear and is shared with many English place names. The literal meaning and any later looser interpretation should not be confused: the name described a crossing, not a quality or trait.
Raeford Name History & Origins
Raeford belongs to the large class of English family names formed from a place - a village, a farm, or a river crossing - and later used as personal names. Its shape follows the common Old English pattern of a descriptive first element joined to a topographical second element, in this case ford. Names of this type were already in use as surnames in England before they began to be given as first names.
As a given name, Raeford is found chiefly in the United States, and it has been used in the American South. The town of Raeford in North Carolina carries the same name, which has kept the spelling recognizable in that part of the country. Because the name comes from a place rather than from a saint or a literary figure, its spread as a first name was gradual and tied to family surnames rather than to a single event.
How Popular is the Name Raeford?
Raeford has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1941. Its best rank was #1,519 in 1941.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | #5,340 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #4,666 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #5,690 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #4,838 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #4,141 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #2,547 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1966 | #4,386 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #3,933 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #4,484 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1961 | #3,589 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #3,226 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #3,842 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #2,355 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1956 | #2,344 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1955 | #3,431 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #2,409 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1953 | #2,262 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1952 | #2,475 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1951 | #1,820 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1950 | #1,934 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1949 | #2,096 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1948 | #2,418 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1947 | #2,825 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1946 | #1,681 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1945 | #2,937 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1944 | #2,278 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1943 | #2,254 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1942 | #1,622 | 20 | 0.0014% |
| 1941 | #1,519 | 21 | 0.0017% |
| 1940 | #2,821 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1939 | #3,858 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #3,450 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #2,441 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1936 | #1,629 | 18 | 0.0017% |
| 1935 | #2,007 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1934 | #2,905 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1933 | #1,764 | 17 | 0.0017% |
| 1932 | #2,798 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1931 | #2,440 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1930 | #1,685 | 20 | 0.0018% |
| 1929 | #2,077 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1928 | #2,497 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1927 | #2,865 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1926 | #2,058 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1925 | #2,710 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1924 | #1,955 | 18 | 0.0016% |
| 1923 | #3,119 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1922 | #3,192 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1921 | #2,242 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1920 | #3,747 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1919 | #2,041 | 16 | 0.0016% |
| 1918 | #2,364 | 13 | 0.0013% |
| 1917 | #3,886 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1916 | #2,887 | 9 | 0.0010% |
| 1915 | #3,010 | 8 | 0.0009% |
| 1914 | #3,640 | 5 | 0.0008% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with R
How the Name Raeford Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Raeford's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Raeford's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.