Anderson
Anderson is given to both girls and boys: 181 girls and 898 boys were given it in 2025 (#1,243 among girls’ names and #363 among boys’, #619 among all names counting both); 35,646 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 29,600 Americans named Anderson and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (83% of everyone recorded); the median is 13 years old and half are between 7 and 20.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Anderson by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Anderson mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Anderson is “a male given name.” Its etymology gives the sense “Andrew” (Ander).
From Middle English Ander (“Andrew”) + -son, after Saint Andrew, patron saint of Scotland. In the United States, sometimes an anglicization of Danish and Norwegian Andersen or Swedish Andersson.
/ˈæn.dɚ.sən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Anderson?
#363 among boys’ names, 2025
Anderson fell from #306 in 2015 to #363 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.62 to 0.53 per 1,000.
1,294 babies in 2012, the peak
Anderson peaked in 2012, when 1,294 babies were given it (1,249 boys, #280 among boys’ names). The 1,079 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 83% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 898 | #363 | 0.53 |
| 2024 | 946 | #356 | 0.55 |
| 2023 | 1,009 | #332 | 0.59 |
| 2022 | 1,001 | #337 | 0.57 |
| 2021 | 1,003 | #328 | 0.57 |
| 2020 | 1,083 | #306 | 0.63 |
| 2019 | 1,057 | #318 | 0.59 |
| 2018 | 1,173 | #297 | 0.65 |
| 2017 | 1,201 | #294 | 0.65 |
| 2016 | 1,162 | #304 | 0.61 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,186 | #306 | 0.62 |
| 2014 | 1,163 | #304 | 0.61 |
| 2013 | 1,154 | #303 | 0.61 |
| 2012 | 1,249 | #280 | 0.66 |
| 2011 | 1,145 | #294 | 0.60 |
| 2010 | 1,021 | #313 | 0.53 |
| 2009 | 1,142 | #288 | 0.58 |
| 2008 | 1,017 | #325 | 0.50 |
| 2007 | 926 | #346 | 0.45 |
| 2006 | 754 | #399 | 0.37 |
| 2005 | 496 | #499 | 0.25 |
| 2004 | 370 | #594 | 0.19 |
| 2003 | 340 | #613 | 0.17 |
| 2002 | 281 | #664 | 0.14 |
| 2001 | 229 | #751 | 0.12 |
| 2000 | 211 | #782 | 0.11 |
| 1999 | 208 | #765 | 0.11 |
| 1998 | 166 | #870 | 0.09 |
| 1997 | 179 | #814 | 0.09 |
| 1996 | 178 | #806 | 0.09 |
| 1995 | 160 | #854 | 0.08 |
| 1994 | 170 | #808 | 0.09 |
| 1993 | 143 | #892 | 0.07 |
| 1992 | 156 | #842 | 0.08 |
| 1991 | 156 | #823 | 0.08 |
| 1990 | 136 | #877 | 0.07 |
| 1989 | 112 | #959 | 0.06 |
| 1988 | 108 | #915 | 0.06 |
| 1987 | 91 | #995 | 0.05 |
| 1986 | 91 | #957 | 0.05 |
| 1985 | 98 | #917 | 0.05 |
| 1984 | 81 | #986 | 0.04 |
| 1983 | 87 | #945 | 0.05 |
| 1982 | 90 | #943 | 0.05 |
| 1981 | 71 | #1,078 | 0.04 |
| 1980 | 80 | #1,010 | 0.04 |
| 1979 | 72 | #1,040 | 0.04 |
| 1978 | 81 | #962 | 0.05 |
| 1977 | 70 | #1,027 | 0.04 |
| 1976 | 75 | #963 | 0.05 |
| 1975 | 65 | #1,019 | 0.04 |
| 1974 | 67 | #1,003 | 0.04 |
| 1973 | 73 | #941 | 0.05 |
| 1972 | 77 | #911 | 0.05 |
| 1971 | 82 | #901 | 0.05 |
| 1970 | 74 | #927 | 0.04 |
| 1969 | 71 | #903 | 0.04 |
| 1968 | 52 | #1,027 | 0.03 |
| 1967 | 77 | #818 | 0.04 |
| 1966 | 72 | #853 | 0.04 |
| 1965 | 79 | #826 | 0.04 |
| 1964 | 82 | #839 | 0.04 |
| 1963 | 59 | #984 | 0.03 |
| 1962 | 80 | #844 | 0.04 |
| 1961 | 93 | #789 | 0.04 |
| 1960 | 84 | #829 | 0.04 |
| 1959 | 95 | #787 | 0.04 |
| 1958 | 96 | #754 | 0.05 |
| 1957 | 104 | #733 | 0.05 |
| 1956 | 97 | #744 | 0.05 |
| 1955 | 100 | #727 | 0.05 |
| 1954 | 118 | #663 | 0.06 |
| 1953 | 113 | #668 | 0.06 |
| 1952 | 99 | #702 | 0.05 |
| 1951 | 103 | #687 | 0.05 |
| 1950 | 109 | #667 | 0.06 |
| 1949 | 115 | #636 | 0.06 |
| 1948 | 96 | #683 | 0.05 |
| 1947 | 118 | #634 | 0.06 |
| 1946 | 100 | #642 | 0.06 |
| 1945 | 96 | #616 | 0.07 |
| 1944 | 92 | #642 | 0.07 |
| 1943 | 101 | #633 | 0.07 |
| 1942 | 113 | #584 | 0.08 |
| 1941 | 96 | #613 | 0.08 |
| 1940 | 100 | #592 | 0.09 |
| 1939 | 102 | #565 | 0.09 |
| 1938 | 93 | #615 | 0.08 |
| 1937 | 85 | #637 | 0.08 |
| 1936 | 106 | #556 | 0.10 |
| 1935 | 86 | #633 | 0.08 |
| 1934 | 92 | #623 | 0.09 |
| 1933 | 105 | #557 | 0.11 |
| 1932 | 91 | #622 | 0.09 |
| 1931 | 99 | #588 | 0.10 |
| 1930 | 122 | #541 | 0.11 |
| 1929 | 103 | #598 | 0.10 |
| 1928 | 128 | #537 | 0.12 |
| 1927 | 129 | #543 | 0.11 |
| 1926 | 143 | #509 | 0.13 |
| 1925 | 128 | #543 | 0.11 |
| 1924 | 138 | #538 | 0.12 |
| 1923 | 149 | #500 | 0.14 |
| 1922 | 142 | #517 | 0.13 |
| 1921 | 129 | #549 | 0.12 |
| 1920 | 180 | #451 | 0.17 |
| 1919 | 147 | #492 | 0.15 |
| 1918 | 134 | #518 | 0.13 |
| 1917 | 128 | #508 | 0.14 |
| 1916 | 135 | #488 | 0.15 |
| 1915 | 121 | #506 | 0.14 |
| 1914 | 110 | #459 | 0.17 |
| 1913 | 90 | #456 | 0.18 |
| 1912 | 85 | #424 | 0.20 |
| 1911 | 56 | #372 | 0.25 |
| 1910 | 52 | #353 | 0.27 |
| 1909 | 50 | #325 | 0.30 |
| 1908 | 45 | #336 | 0.29 |
| 1907 | 30 | #417 | 0.20 |
| 1906 | 46 | #302 | 0.35 |
| 1905 | 45 | #299 | 0.34 |
| 1904 | 49 | #274 | 0.38 |
| 1903 | 30 | #353 | 0.25 |
| 1902 | 37 | #318 | 0.30 |
| 1901 | 26 | #360 | 0.24 |
| 1900 | 56 | #275 | 0.37 |
| 1899 | 27 | #347 | 0.25 |
| 1898 | 43 | #275 | 0.35 |
| 1897 | 46 | #258 | 0.41 |
| 1896 | 39 | #296 | 0.33 |
| 1895 | 31 | #329 | 0.26 |
| 1894 | 50 | #241 | 0.43 |
| 1893 | 46 | #258 | 0.41 |
| 1892 | 44 | #270 | 0.36 |
| 1891 | 30 | #305 | 0.30 |
| 1890 | 59 | #216 | 0.53 |
| 1889 | 42 | #251 | 0.38 |
| 1888 | 46 | #261 | 0.38 |
| 1887 | 39 | #254 | 0.38 |
| 1886 | 34 | #294 | 0.31 |
| 1885 | 42 | #256 | 0.39 |
| 1884 | 48 | #247 | 0.42 |
| 1883 | 38 | #263 | 0.36 |
| 1882 | 58 | #215 | 0.51 |
| 1881 | 40 | #244 | 0.40 |
| 1880 | 43 | #252 | 0.39 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Anderson a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 35,646 Americans recorded as Anderson, 5% are girls and 95% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Anderson: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Anderson, and how old are they?
29,600 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 83% of the 35,646 Americans ever recorded as Anderson. The median Anderson alive today is 13 years old; half are between 7 and 20.
The 2020 Census counted 26,993 people named Anderson (1,170 women and girls, 25,823 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 23,881 born in the U.S. The Census count is 13% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 342 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,210 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 1,030 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 1,910 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 10,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 15,100 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Anderson born?
The states with the most babies named Anderson are Texas, Georgia and North Carolina, with 24% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 89 | #486 | 0.8× |
| Georgia | 74 | #232 | 1.9× |
| North Carolina | 72 | #227 | 1.6× |
| California | 66 | #482 | 0.6× |
| Florida | 65 | #294 | 1.0× |
| Tennessee | 59 | #208 | 1.4× |
| New York | 46 | #383 | 1.0× |
| Alabama | 41 | #167 | 2.0× |
| Virginia | 37 | #280 | 1.4× |
| Ohio | 35 | #440 | 0.8× |
Where Anderson is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Anderson is most over-represented in Mississippi: since 1910 it was given 2.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Anderson with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 3 names spelled alike, given to 37,075 babies since 1880, Anderson is the most given (96% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,079 of their 1,142 babies (94%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Anderson
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Anderson and names like it
- Compare Anderson and AndersenBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sAnderson peaked in 2012.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Anderson since 1910.
- The top names of 2012The year the most babies were named Anderson.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Anderson alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with AMost given first.