Watson
#14,942 for girls in 2025, 5 births · #1,008 for boys in 2025, 224 births
Given to boys 99.7% of the time
- Peak · boys
- 1882 · 21 births
- Debut · boys
- 12 births
- In top 100 · boys
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 6,699since 1880
Watson over time
Rank among boys' names. Watson has never cracked the top 300 here.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #14,942 | 5 | #1,008 | 224 |
| 2024 | — | #866 | 279 | |
| 2023 | — | #804 | 306 | |
| 2022 | — | #729 | 356 | |
| 2021 | — | #597 | 466 | |
| 2020 | #13,453 | 6 | #603 | 454 |
| 2019 | #15,539 | 5 | #694 | 362 |
| 2018 | #13,793 | 6 | #713 | 340 |
| 2017 | — | #1,020 | 198 | |
| 2016 | — | #1,433 | 121 | |
| 2015 | — | #1,406 | 122 | |
| 2014 | — | #1,657 | 93 | |
| 2013 | — | #2,139 | 62 | |
| 2012 | — | #1,799 | 82 | |
| 2011 | — | #2,748 | 43 | |
| 2010 | — | #3,128 | 36 | |
| 2009 | — | #5,102 | 18 | |
| 2008 | — | #4,145 | 24 | |
| 2007 | — | #4,243 | 23 | |
| 2006 | — | #3,782 | 26 | |
| 2005 | — | #3,091 | 33 | |
| 2004 | — | #3,636 | 25 | |
| 2003 | — | #4,276 | 19 | |
| 2002 | — | #4,044 | 20 | |
| 2001 | — | #4,302 | 18 | |
| 2000 | — | #5,297 | 13 | |
| 1999 | — | #3,182 | 25 | |
| 1998 | — | #3,708 | 19 | |
| 1997 | — | #4,059 | 16 | |
| 1996 | — | #5,187 | 11 | |
| 1995 | — | #4,280 | 14 | |
| 1994 | — | #3,751 | 17 | |
| 1993 | — | #4,227 | 14 | |
| 1992 | — | #4,114 | 14 | |
| 1991 | — | #5,942 | 8 | |
| 1990 | — | #3,467 | 17 | |
| 1989 | — | #4,271 | 12 | |
| 1988 | — | #3,523 | 14 | |
| 1987 | — | #3,521 | 13 | |
| 1986 | — | #3,131 | 15 | |
| 1985 | — | #3,070 | 15 | |
| 1984 | — | #3,270 | 13 | |
| 1983 | — | #3,230 | 13 | |
| 1982 | — | #2,709 | 17 | |
| 1981 | — | #3,601 | 11 | |
| 1980 | — | #5,525 | 6 | |
| 1979 | — | #4,403 | 8 | |
| 1978 | — | #5,059 | 6 | |
| 1977 | — | #3,606 | 10 | |
| 1976 | — | #4,418 | 7 | |
| 1975 | — | #3,428 | 10 | |
| 1974 | — | #2,799 | 13 | |
| 1973 | — | #2,606 | 14 | |
| 1972 | — | #2,534 | 14 | |
| 1971 | — | #3,370 | 9 | |
| 1970 | — | #2,509 | 14 | |
| 1969 | — | #2,682 | 11 | |
| 1968 | — | #2,311 | 13 | |
| 1967 | — | #3,231 | 7 | |
| 1966 | — | #2,465 | 11 | |
| 1965 | — | #2,476 | 11 | |
| 1964 | — | #1,850 | 19 | |
| 1963 | — | #1,695 | 22 | |
| 1962 | — | #2,364 | 12 | |
| 1961 | — | #1,521 | 28 | |
| 1960 | — | #1,812 | 20 | |
| 1959 | — | #1,916 | 18 | |
| 1958 | — | #1,953 | 17 | |
| 1957 | — | #1,634 | 24 | |
| 1956 | — | #1,511 | 27 | |
| 1955 | — | #1,370 | 31 | |
| 1954 | — | #1,525 | 25 | |
| 1953 | — | #1,261 | 35 | |
| 1952 | — | #1,615 | 22 | |
| 1951 | — | #1,430 | 27 | |
| 1950 | — | #1,499 | 24 | |
| 1949 | — | #1,297 | 31 | |
| 1948 | — | #1,231 | 34 | |
| 1947 | — | #1,213 | 36 | |
| 1946 | — | #1,217 | 33 | |
| 1945 | — | #1,139 | 33 | |
| 1944 | — | #1,370 | 24 | |
| 1943 | — | #1,170 | 34 | |
| 1942 | — | #1,358 | 26 | |
| 1941 | — | #951 | 45 | |
| 1940 | — | #1,050 | 38 | |
| 1939 | — | #992 | 41 | |
| 1938 | — | #1,009 | 40 | |
| 1937 | — | #1,212 | 30 | |
| 1936 | — | #949 | 42 | |
| 1935 | — | #1,148 | 33 | |
| 1934 | — | #1,323 | 26 | |
| 1933 | — | #926 | 46 | |
| 1932 | — | #1,157 | 34 | |
| 1931 | — | #974 | 46 | |
| 1930 | — | #1,151 | 37 | |
| 1929 | — | #1,173 | 35 | |
| 1928 | — | #1,382 | 28 | |
| 1927 | — | #964 | 52 | |
| 1926 | — | #992 | 48 | |
| 1925 | — | #882 | 58 | |
| 1924 | — | #865 | 63 | |
| 1923 | — | #896 | 58 | |
| 1922 | — | #830 | 67 | |
| 1921 | — | #804 | 71 | |
| 1920 | — | #911 | 57 | |
| 1919 | — | #783 | 68 | |
| 1918 | — | #684 | 83 | |
| 1917 | — | #804 | 61 | |
| 1916 | — | #685 | 75 | |
| 1915 | — | #681 | 72 | |
| 1914 | — | #658 | 59 | |
| 1913 | — | #696 | 43 | |
| 1912 | — | #713 | 36 | |
| 1911 | — | #689 | 21 | |
| 1910 | — | #569 | 25 | |
| 1909 | — | #840 | 12 | |
| 1908 | — | #657 | 16 | |
| 1907 | — | #930 | 9 | |
| 1906 | — | #674 | 13 | |
| 1905 | — | #699 | 12 | |
| 1904 | — | #647 | 13 | |
| 1903 | — | #910 | 7 | |
| 1902 | — | #583 | 14 | |
| 1901 | — | #536 | 14 | |
| 1900 | — | #699 | 13 | |
| 1899 | — | #583 | 12 | |
| 1898 | — | #611 | 13 | |
| 1897 | — | #515 | 15 | |
| 1896 | — | #400 | 24 | |
| 1895 | — | #609 | 12 | |
| 1894 | — | #668 | 10 | |
| 1893 | — | — | ||
| 1892 | — | #497 | 16 | |
| 1891 | — | #524 | 12 | |
| 1890 | — | #566 | 12 | |
| 1889 | — | #722 | 8 | |
| 1888 | — | #648 | 10 | |
| 1887 | — | #679 | 8 | |
| 1886 | — | #959 | 5 | |
| 1885 | — | #836 | 6 | |
| 1884 | — | #570 | 11 | |
| 1883 | — | #479 | 14 | |
| 1882 | — | #389 | 21 | |
| 1881 | — | #563 | 10 | |
| 1880 | — | #526 | 12 | |
In the first year the SSA published name data, Watson was already there! It came in at #526, and was given to 12 baby boys.
Quietest stretch: 1893, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.
Where Watson is popular in 2025
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
- Wisconsin#437 · 1 in 2,130
- Iowa#448 · 1 in 1,976
- Alabama#622 · 1 in 3,074
- Colorado#626 · 1 in 3,356
- Minnesota#640 · 1 in 3,500
Best ever in a state: #116 in South Dakota, 2020.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | #437 | 11 | 1 in 2,130 |
| Iowa | #448 | 7 | 1 in 1,976 |
| Alabama | #622 | 7 | 1 in 3,074 |
| Colorado | #626 | 8 | 1 in 3,356 |
| Minnesota | #640 | 7 | 1 in 3,500 |
| South Carolina | #668 | 6 | 1 in 3,533 |
| Louisiana | #672 | 6 | 1 in 3,188 |
| Oklahoma | #698 | 5 | 1 in 3,536 |
| Kentucky | #708 | 5 | 1 in 4,107 |
| Ohio | #750 | 11 | 1 in 4,776 |
| Indiana | #773 | 7 | 1 in 4,523 |
| Missouri | #789 | 6 | 1 in 4,635 |
| Georgia | #792 | 11 | 1 in 4,566 |
| North Carolina | #873 | 9 | 1 in 5,719 |
| Washington | #898 | 6 | 1 in 5,466 |
| Michigan | #905 | 7 | 1 in 5,742 |
| Tennessee | #927 | 6 | 1 in 6,128 |
| Virginia | #971 | 6 | 1 in 6,209 |
| New Jersey | #1,022 | 5 | 1 in 7,953 |
| Illinois | #1,023 | 7 | 1 in 7,079 |
| Pennsylvania | #1,094 | 6 | 1 in 8,710 |
| Texas | #1,094 | 20 | 1 in 8,753 |
| California | #2,471 | 5 | 1 in 35,095 |
| Alaska | — | — | — |
| Arizona | — | — | — |
| Arkansas | — | — | — |
| Connecticut | — | — | — |
| Delaware | — | — | — |
| District of Columbia | — | — | — |
| Florida | — | — | — |
| Hawaii | — | — | — |
| Idaho | — | — | — |
| Kansas | — | — | — |
| Maine | — | — | — |
| Maryland | — | — | — |
| Massachusetts | — | — | — |
| Mississippi | — | — | — |
| Montana | — | — | — |
| Nebraska | — | — | — |
| Nevada | — | — | — |
| New Hampshire | — | — | — |
| New Mexico | — | — | — |
| New York | — | — | — |
| North Dakota | — | — | — |
| Oregon | — | — | — |
| Rhode Island | — | — | — |
| South Dakota | — | — | — |
| Utah | — | — | — |
| Vermont | — | — | — |
| West Virginia | — | — | — |
| Wyoming | — | — | — |
Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
See more about Watson
- 142 spots since 2024 (#866 → #1,008)
- 405 spots since 2020 (#603 → #1,008)
- 398 spots since 2015 (#1,406 → #1,008)
- Biggest jump: 307 spots in 2018 (#1,020 → #713)
- Biggest drop: 418 spots in 1928 (#964 → #1,382)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1882 at #389 (21 births)
- Births halved by 1885, 3 yrs later
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 59 yrs · run 1894–1927
- Highest: 1 in 3,754 boys born in 2021 were named Watson (0.03%)
- Latest: 1 in 7,625 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
- Its best rank, #389 in 1882, was only 1 in 5,414 (0.02%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
- 31.1% of all boys named Watson (2,085) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 105 | #389 (1882) | #637 |
| 1890s | 126 | #400 (1896) | #553 |
| 1900s | 123 | #536 (1901) | #718 |
| 1910s | 543 | #569 (1910) | #696 |
| 1920s | 537 | #804 (1921) | #970 |
| 1930s | 375 | #926 (1933) | #1,084 |
| 1940s | 334 | #951 (1941) | #1,200 |
| 1950s | 250 | #1,261 (1953) | #1,571 |
| 1960s | 154 | #1,521 (1961) | #2,241 |
| 1970s | 105 | #2,509 (1970) | #3,473 |
| 1980s | 129 | #2,709 (1982) | #3,585 |
| 1990s | 155 | #3,182 (1999) | #4,192 |
| 2000s | 219 | #3,091 (2005) | #4,192 |
| 2010s | 1,459 | #694 (2019) | #1,674 |
| 2020s | 2,085 | #597 (2021) | #768 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Watson in 2025
Top girls' names in 2025
Top boys' names in 2025
More about 2025
girls
1,607,267 girls got a published name in 2025; 1 in 321,453 of them was named Watson, which outranked 13.6% of the 17,297 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 7.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880).
Tied with 2,355 names at #14,942; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,708,076 boys got a published name in 2025; 1 in 7,625 of them was named Watson, which outranked 92.8% of the 13,930 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 8.0% of boys (44.2% in 1880).