Boys' name · since 1880

Scott

774,997 babies named Scott in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1971. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#43 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#534 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
774,997
born since 1880
1960s
peak decade

774,997 babies have been named Scott since 1880, making it today's #534 boys' name.

Social Security Administration records show Scott recorded 774,997 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #534 nationally today, ahead of 96% of boys, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #43 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #534 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 774,997 born since 1880
  • 1960s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Scott ranks #43 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #534 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 774,997 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.

#43 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#534 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
774,997
born since 1880
1960s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%96.1%
Scott vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Scott's 774,997 recorded births place it above 99.9% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

51 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Scott compares

774,997 Top 1% higher than 99% 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

Scott's all-time total is 2,100x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Scott Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 774,997 369 358,536
Peak-year births 30,901 34 22,252

Scott's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Scott's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 96% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 4%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1903, with only 24 births recorded -- set against the 1971 peak of 30,901, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Scott popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1971)
30,901
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
010,00020,00030,00040,000 188018991918193719561975199420132025 561

Scott popularity over time - girls

2,608 total births recorded since 1913 (Scott as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 2,608 births
050100150 191319501958196619741982199019992001 6

Scott by decade

1960s is the heaviest window (266,828 births, 34% of the file).

1960s was Scott's strongest decade.

266,828 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.

Scott births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1960s at 266,828 births (34% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Scott 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 Scott's total volume

Scott vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 1%2%3%4%5% 110120130140150 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -112, 3.8%-146, 1.7%-146, 1.6%-146, 4.4%-146, 1.7%-146, 4.3%-146, 2.8%-146, 1.8%-146, 1.9%-146, 3.1%-146, 2.1%-146, 2.7%-146, 2.8%-146, 2.7%-146, 4.3%Scott-146, 4%Scott
Scott vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Scott by state

Where Scott concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Scott
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
75,417 9.7%
#2 New York
60,428 7.8%
#3 Ohio
48,751 6.3%
#4 Illinois
48,222 6.2%
#5 Pennsylvania
47,937 6.2%
#6 Michigan
47,541 6.1%
#7 Wisconsin
30,339 3.9%
#8 Massachusetts
27,873 3.6%
California share of Scott's total US births 9.7%
Even split

75,417 of 774,997 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Scott appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Scott? ▼
Scott has been given to 774,997 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #43 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #534 of 13,930. 30,901 babies were born in 1971, its single highest year.
Where does Scott sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Scott ranks #43 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #534 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Scott most popular? ▼
Scott was most popular in the 1960s decade with 266,828 total births. The single peak year was 1971.
Where is Scott most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Scott are California (75,417 births), New York (60,428 births), Ohio (48,751 births).
How long has the name Scott been used? ▼
Scott has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Scott? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Scotty, Scot, Scottie, Scout, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Scott's data

  • Scott's decade-level peak was the 1960s (266,828 total births); usage has since declined to 2,995 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Scotts (75,417 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Scott

Nearby Names Like Scott

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Scott

Scotty Boy
#1396 19,030 births
Scot Boy
#10845 13,721 births
Scottie Boy
#907 11,157 births
Scout Boy
#1398 2,092 births
Scotland Boy
#6912 272 births

Compare Scott side by side: Scott vs Scotty Scott vs Scot Scott vs Scottie

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Scott

Rio #533
5,530 births · Peak 2024
Kendrick #535
33,557 births · Peak 2013
Troy #532
216,308 births · Peak 1970
Bruce #536
386,880 births · Peak 1956
Tyson #531
48,395 births · Peak 2009
Zachariah #537
31,238 births · Peak 1992
Azriel #530
4,005 births · Peak 2025
Eiden #538
2,129 births · Peak 2025

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Scott: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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 Scott 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.