Total births
13,721
Boys' name · since 1940
Scot
Since 1940, U.S. Social Security records show 13,721 babies named Scot, peaking in 1970. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #12565
- among boys today
- 13,721
- born since 1940
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 12%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Scot is the #12565 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 13,721 recorded since 1940.
Scot has 13,721 recorded births among boys since 1940, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #12565 as of the latest data, more common than 12% of boys, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1940 to 2025.
- #12565 among boys today
- 13,721 born since 1940
- 1960s peak decade
- 12% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Scot is currently the #12565 boys' name in America, more common than 12% of boys - 13,721 born since 1940, peaking in the 1960s.
- #12565
- among boys today
- 13,721
- born since 1940
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 12%
- more common than other boys
Scot vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#12565
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 12% of names given to boys today.
1960s
Peak decade
38% of everyone ever named Scot was born in this single decade.
1970
Single peak year
633 babies were named Scot in 1970 - its busiest year on record.
How Scot compares
13,721 Top 7% higher than 93% of 14,294 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
Scot's all-time total is 37x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Scot | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 13,721 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 633 | 23 | 22,252 |
Scot's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Scot splits its recorded history at 1982: 13% of all births land in the more recent half, 87% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1941 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1970 peak of 633 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Scot at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1970
Current rank
#12,565
Active since
1940
Scot popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1940–2025
- Peak year (1970)
- 633
- Annual births at peak, across 86 years of records
Scot popularity over time - girls
11 total births recorded since 1959 (Scot as girls' name)
Scot by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Scot's strongest decade.
5,244 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.
Scot births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 151
1940s
151 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,769 births
- 1960s
1960s
5,244 births
- 1970s
1970s
3,450 births
- 1980s 1,193
1980s
1,193 births
- 1990s 587
1990s
587 births
- 2000s 207
2000s
207 births
- 2010s 94
2010s
94 births
- 2020s 26
2020s
26 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 5,244 births (38% of all-time use).
How Scot 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 Scot's total volume
Scot vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Scot by state
Where Scot concentrates geographically, total births since 1940
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,339 | 9.8% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 944 | 6.9% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 844 | 6.2% |
| #4 | New York | | 778 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 766 | 5.6% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 694 | 5.1% |
| #7 | Wisconsin | | 498 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Texas | | 476 | 3.5% |
California share of Scot's total US births 9.8%
Even split
1,339 of 13,721 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.
Scot appears in 44 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Scot? ▼
Since 1940, Social Security records show 13,721 babies named Scot. Today it holds rank #12565 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1970, with 633 births.
When was Scot most popular? ▼
Scot was most popular in the 1960s decade with 5,244 total births. The single peak year was 1970.
Where is Scot most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Scot are California (1,339 births), Ohio (944 births), Illinois (844 births).
How long has the name Scot been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Scot since 1940 -- 86 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Scot? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Scott, Scotty, Scottie, Scout, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Scot's data
- Scot's decade-level peak was the 1960s (5,244 total births); usage has since declined to 26 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Scots (1,339 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Scot
Nearby Names Like Scot
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Scot
Scott Boy
#565 774,997 births
Scotty Boy
#1771 19,030 births
Scottie Boy
#1190 11,157 births
Scout Boy
#1486 2,092 births
Scotland Boy
#5990 272 births
Compare Scot side by side: Scot vs Scott Scot vs Scotty Scot vs Scottie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Scot
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1940–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Scot: #12565 Boys' Name - 13,721 Births, Peak 1970." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/scot. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Scot 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 June 2026.