Ford is an English surname and place name and means "river crossing", a shallow spot where a river could be crossed on foot; it is one of the oldest topographic surnames in England. Henry Ford and his cars, President Gerald Ford and actor Harrison Ford give it a solidly American ring. As a first name Ford entered the US top 1000 in 2014, peaked at number 439 in 2021 and ranks number 474 in 2025.