Guilford

Where Guilford comes from

Guilford 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. 1828
    Guilford Lindsey Molesworth born
    civil engineer from Britain
  2. 1840
    Guilford Wiley Wells born
    American politician
  3. 1885
    First appearance
    #936 among boys, 5 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  4. 1890
    Peak, #739
    8 babies named Guilford — more than any year before or since.
  5. 1891
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births.
In the dictionary

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

Namesakes
  • Guilford Lindsey Molesworth · civil engineer from Britain, 1828–1925
  • Guilford Wiley Wells · American politician, 1840–1909
  • Guilford Clyde Young · Australian Roman Catholic archbishop, 1916–1988

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.