Unisex name · since 1880
Carson
Carson has 132,774 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2018 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #253 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #124 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 132,774
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Carson currently ranks #124 among unisex names in America, with 132,774 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Carson has been recorded 132,774 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #124 nationally and more common than 99.1% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #253 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #124 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 132,774 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Carson ranks #253 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #124 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 132,774 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #253 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #124 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 132,774
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Carson's 132,774 recorded births place it above 99.44% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Carson compares
132,774 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Carson's all-time total is 360x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Carson | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 132,774 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,259 | 34 | 22,252 |
Carson's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Carson splits its recorded history at 1953: 97% of all births land in the more recent half, 3% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1893 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2018 peak of 5,259 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Carson popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2018)
- 5,259
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Carson popularity over time - girls
8,113 total births recorded since 1947 (Carson as girls' name)
Carson by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (48,026 births, 36% of the file).
2010s was Carson's strongest decade.
48,026 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Carson births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 89
1880s
89 births
- 1890s 93
1890s
93 births
- 1900s 142
1900s
142 births
- 1910s 753
1910s
753 births
- 1920s 1,050
1920s
1,050 births
- 1930s 933
1930s
933 births
- 1940s 1,123
1940s
1,123 births
- 1950s 1,212
1950s
1,212 births
- 1960s 859
1960s
859 births
- 1970s 1,184
1970s
1,184 births
- 1980s 2,333
1980s
2,333 births
- 1990s 9,970
1990s
9,970 births
- 2000s
2000s
44,632 births
- 2010s
2010s
48,026 births
- 2020s
2020s
20,375 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 48,026 births (36% of all-time use).
How Carson compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Carson's total volume
Carson by state
Where Carson concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 10,042 | 7.6% |
| #2 | California | | 8,548 | 6.4% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 7,151 | 5.4% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 5,824 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 5,289 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Florida | | 5,287 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 5,148 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 4,817 | 3.6% |
10,042 of 132,774 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Carson appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Carson's data
- Carson's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (48,026 total births) through the 2020s (20,375) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Carsons (10,042 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Carson
Nearby Names Like Carson
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carson
Compare Carson side by side: Carson vs Carl Carson vs Carlos Carson vs Carter
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Carson
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Carson: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2018)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Carson draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.