The baby name Forde is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /fɔːrd/ or /fɔrd/ (FOR-d).
Forde is English in Origin.
The baby name Forde is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /fɔːrd/ or /fɔrd/ (FOR-d).
Forde is English in Origin.
Forde is a brisk, one-syllable surname-turned-given name rooted in Old English ford, meaning "river crossing" or "shallow place to wade." It began as a topographic identifier for people living beside a crossing point and appears widely in medieval English records; the final -e reflects Middle English spelling habits. The same root survives in many place names (e.g., Oxford, Hereford), reinforcing the idea of passage and connection.
As a first name, Forde emerged in English-speaking countries in the late 19th and 20th centuries under the surname-to-given-name trend. Ford is the more common contemporary form; Forde functions as an alternative spelling, with occasional historical spellings like Foord/Foorde. Nicknames include Ford and Fordy. Broader -ford compounds (Ashford, Clifford, Bradford) share the element but not the exact form. Overall meaning centers on a safe crossing, suggesting resilience, practicality, and forward movement.
Forde is about as rare as a name gets. In all, it appears just 15 times, across 10 countries.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GH | 0 | #248 | 1 | 5,396 | |
| YE | 0 | #398 | 1 | 8,639 | |
| PA | Girls | 0 | #518 | 1 | 9,861 |
| LY | 0 | #559 | 1 | 12,703 | |
| IQ | Boys | 0 | #697 | 1 | 13,071 |
| BR | Boys | 0 | #785 | 1 | 12,213 |
| TN | 0 | #865 | 1 | 13,765 | |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #1,014 | 1 | 25,931 |
| MA | 0 | #1,198 | 2 | 20,986 | |
| DZ | 0 | #1,230 | 5 | 20,130 |
Forde is popular in 10 countries — most recent births per country:
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