Meaning not yet researched.
Watson: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 224 in 2025. Its best rank was #397 in 1882.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #397 in 1882; #1,011 in 2025. About 98% of babies named Watson in 2025 were boys.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,011 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1882, at #397.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Watson: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 224 boys in 2025. Peak: #397 in 1882 · most boys in one year: 466 (2021).
In 2025, 224 US boys were named Watson, making it the 1,011th most common boys’ name of the year, down 143 places from #868 in 2024. That is 55 fewer than the 279 boys named Watson in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #397, reached in 1882. The most boys given the name in a single year was 466, in 2021. For comparison, it was #1,414 in 2015 and #1,535 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Watson in 145 years of the 146 from 1880 to 2025, starting in 1880 with 12 babies. In all, 6,721 US babies have been given the name, 0.3% of them girls and 99.6% boys. Its busiest decade was the 2020s, with 2,096 babies named Watson.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 3,106 US boys were named Watson; the busiest of those years was 2021, with 466. In 2025 that was about 1 in 7,625 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Watson ranked highest in Wisconsin in 2025, at #481 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Rarer spellings such as Wattson and Watsyn are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
No related spellings pass our data threshold.
Rare spellings summarised here: Wattson (57), Watsyn (5).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Watson in the open dataset we use.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 28 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 11 | #481 | — |
| Iowa | 7 | #491 | — |
| Colorado | 8 | #676 | #890 |
| Alabama | 7 | #682 | — |
| Minnesota | 7 | #712 | #713 |
| South Carolina | 6 | #735 | #755 |
| Louisiana | 6 | #767 | — |
| Ohio | 11 | #797 | — |
| Oklahoma | 5 | #803 | — |
| Kentucky | 5 | #810 | — |
| Indiana | 7 | #839 | — |
| Georgia | 11 | #849 | — |
| Missouri | 6 | #864 | #728 |
| North Carolina | 9 | #930 | #1,114 |
| Michigan | 7 | #990 | — |
| Washington | 6 | #991 | #1,096 |
| Tennessee | 6 | #1,035 | — |
| Virginia | 6 | #1,080 | — |
| Texas | 20 | #1,128 | #1,749 |
| Illinois | 7 | #1,128 | — |
| New Jersey | 5 | #1,172 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | #1,220 | #1,323 |
| California | 5 | #2,797 | #2,031 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | #17,124 | 224 | #1,011 |
| 2024 | — | — | 279 | #868 |
| 2023 | — | — | 306 | #805 |
| 2022 | — | — | 356 | #729 |
| 2021 | — | — | 466 | #597 |
| 2020 | 6 | #14,979 | 454 | #603 |
| 2019 | 5 | #17,842 | 362 | #697 |
| 2018 | 6 | #15,577 | 340 | #715 |
| 2017 | — | — | 198 | #1,022 |
| 2016 | — | — | 121 | #1,442 |
| 2015 | — | — | 122 | #1,414 |
| 2014 | — | — | 93 | #1,668 |
| 2013 | — | — | 62 | #2,162 |
| 2012 | — | — | 82 | #1,813 |
| 2011 | — | — | 43 | #2,794 |
| 2010 | — | — | 36 | #3,178 |
| 2009 | — | — | 18 | #5,312 |
| 2008 | — | — | 24 | #4,259 |
| 2007 | — | — | 23 | #4,363 |
| 2006 | — | — | 26 | #3,882 |
| 2005 | — | — | 33 | #3,169 |
| 2004 | — | — | 25 | #3,730 |
| 2003 | — | — | 19 | #4,414 |
| 2002 | — | — | 20 | #4,182 |
| 2001 | — | — | 18 | #4,470 |
| 2000 | — | — | 13 | #5,568 |
| 1999 | — | — | 25 | #3,274 |
| 1998 | — | — | 19 | #3,841 |
| 1997 | — | — | 16 | #4,238 |
| 1996 | — | — | 11 | #5,522 |
| 1995 | — | — | 14 | #4,500 |
| 1994 | — | — | 17 | #3,905 |
| 1993 | — | — | 14 | #4,439 |
| 1992 | — | — | 14 | #4,314 |
| 1991 | — | — | 8 | #6,506 |
| 1990 | — | — | 17 | #3,597 |
| 1989 | — | — | 12 | #4,513 |
| 1988 | — | — | 14 | #3,700 |
| 1987 | — | — | 13 | #3,717 |
| 1986 | — | — | 15 | #3,263 |
| 1985 | — | — | 15 | #3,212 |
| 1984 | — | — | 13 | #3,453 |
| 1983 | — | — | 13 | #3,403 |
| 1982 | — | — | 17 | #2,828 |
| 1981 | — | — | 11 | #3,847 |
| 1980 | — | — | 6 | #6,217 |
| 1979 | — | — | 8 | #4,832 |
| 1978 | — | — | 6 | #5,754 |
| 1977 | — | — | 10 | #3,831 |
| 1976 | — | — | 7 | #4,919 |
| 1975 | — | — | 10 | #3,653 |
| 1974 | — | — | 13 | #2,941 |
| 1973 | — | — | 14 | #2,713 |
| 1972 | — | — | 14 | #2,653 |
| 1971 | — | — | 9 | #3,653 |
| 1970 | — | — | 14 | #2,618 |
| 1969 | — | — | 11 | #2,855 |
| 1968 | — | — | 13 | #2,442 |
| 1967 | — | — | 7 | #3,548 |
| 1966 | — | — | 11 | #2,623 |
| 1965 | — | — | 11 | #2,612 |
| 1964 | — | — | 19 | #1,897 |
| 1963 | — | — | 22 | #1,743 |
| 1962 | — | — | 12 | #2,499 |
| 1961 | — | — | 28 | #1,550 |
| 1960 | — | — | 20 | #1,855 |
| 1959 | — | — | 18 | #1,973 |
| 1958 | — | — | 17 | #2,023 |
| 1957 | — | — | 24 | #1,670 |
| 1956 | — | — | 27 | #1,531 |
| 1955 | — | — | 31 | #1,394 |
| 1954 | — | — | 25 | #1,557 |
| 1953 | — | — | 35 | #1,279 |
| 1952 | — | — | 22 | #1,663 |
| 1951 | — | — | 27 | #1,460 |
| 1950 | — | — | 24 | #1,535 |
| 1949 | — | — | 31 | #1,320 |
| 1948 | — | — | 34 | #1,255 |
| 1947 | — | — | 36 | #1,231 |
| 1946 | — | — | 33 | #1,235 |
| 1945 | — | — | 33 | #1,162 |
| 1944 | — | — | 24 | #1,398 |
| 1943 | — | — | 34 | #1,186 |
| 1942 | — | — | 26 | #1,379 |
| 1941 | — | — | 45 | #959 |
| 1940 | — | — | 38 | #1,064 |
| 1939 | — | — | 41 | #1,006 |
| 1938 | — | — | 40 | #1,027 |
| 1937 | — | — | 30 | #1,232 |
| 1936 | — | — | 42 | #970 |
| 1935 | — | — | 33 | #1,163 |
| 1934 | — | — | 26 | #1,355 |
| 1933 | — | — | 46 | #935 |
| 1932 | — | — | 34 | #1,174 |
| 1931 | — | — | 46 | #982 |
| 1930 | — | — | 37 | #1,171 |
| 1929 | — | — | 35 | #1,192 |
| 1928 | — | — | 28 | #1,412 |
| 1927 | — | — | 52 | #980 |
| 1926 | — | — | 48 | #1,008 |
| 1925 | — | — | 58 | #889 |
| 1924 | — | — | 63 | #870 |
| 1923 | — | — | 58 | #904 |
| 1922 | — | — | 67 | #838 |
| 1921 | — | — | 71 | #813 |
| 1920 | — | — | 57 | #922 |
| 1919 | — | — | 68 | #788 |
| 1918 | — | — | 83 | #691 |
| 1917 | — | — | 61 | #819 |
| 1916 | — | — | 75 | #689 |
| 1915 | — | — | 72 | #689 |
| 1914 | — | — | 59 | #666 |
| 1913 | — | — | 43 | #710 |
| 1912 | — | — | 36 | #724 |
| 1911 | — | — | 21 | #705 |
| 1910 | — | — | 25 | #581 |
| 1909 | — | — | 12 | #889 |
| 1908 | — | — | 16 | #684 |
| 1907 | — | — | 9 | #996 |
| 1906 | — | — | 13 | #708 |
| 1905 | — | — | 12 | #739 |
| 1904 | — | — | 13 | #683 |
| 1903 | — | — | 7 | #1,002 |
| 1902 | — | — | 14 | #614 |
| 1901 | — | — | 14 | #556 |
| 1900 | — | — | 13 | #734 |
| 1899 | — | — | 12 | #611 |
| 1898 | — | — | 13 | #633 |
| 1897 | — | — | 15 | #553 |
| 1896 | — | — | 24 | #406 |
| 1895 | — | — | 12 | #639 |
| 1894 | — | — | 10 | #727 |
| 1892 | — | — | 16 | #523 |
| 1891 | — | — | 12 | #561 |
| 1890 | — | — | 12 | #600 |
| 1889 | — | — | 8 | #785 |
| 1888 | — | — | 10 | #701 |
| 1887 | — | — | 8 | #747 |
| 1886 | — | — | 5 | #1,099 |
| 1885 | — | — | 6 | #932 |
| 1884 | — | — | 11 | #607 |
| 1883 | — | — | 14 | #496 |
| 1882 | — | — | 21 | #397 |
| 1881 | — | — | 10 | #591 |
| 1880 | — | — | 12 | #566 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).