Ross — #1359 US boys' name
81,752 babies named Ross in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1985. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
More common than 90% of names given to boys today.
19% of everyone ever named Ross was born in this single decade.
1,884 babies were named Ross in 1985 — its busiest year on record.
What the Data Says About Ross
The Social Security Administration has registered 81,752 babies named Ross between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Ross currently holds the #1359 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1985, when 1,884 babies received it in a single year.
Decade-level aggregation shows that Ross performed strongest in the 1980s, accumulating 15,713 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Ross shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 6,413 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and New York. In total, SSA state-level files list Ross in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.
No etymological entry is currently available for Ross in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 81,752 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.
Ross at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
Current rank
Active since
Ross popularity over time — boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880
- Peak year (1985)
- 1,884
- Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
Currently ranks #1359 among boys.
81,752 total births across 145 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1985 with 1,884 births in a single year.
Ross popularity over time — girls
422 total births recorded since 1891 (Ross as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Ross accounts for 1% of total recorded use across both genders.
Ross by decade
Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance
- Peak decade
- 1980s
- 15,713 births that decade — 19% of Ross's all-time total
Ross decade highlights
- Peak decade 15,713 births
- Runner-up 10,463 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
1980s was Ross's strongest decade
15,713 babies received the name during that ten-year window — about 19% of all-time use.
Ross by state
Where Ross concentrates geographically — total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 6,413 | 7.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 5,324 | 6.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 4,950 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 4,239 | 5.2% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 4,199 | 5.1% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 4,147 | 5.1% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 3,766 | 4.6% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 2,940 | 3.6% |
6,413 of 81,752 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- California 7.8% of nationwide
- Texas 6.5% of nationwide
- New York 6.1% of nationwide
- Pennsylvania 5.2% of nationwide
- Illinois 5.1% of nationwide
Recorded in 51 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
California accounts for 7.8% of all recorded births nationwide — a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Ross appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Sources
Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.