Boys' name · since 1880
Watson
Watson has 6,699 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2021 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,499 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,008 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,699
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
6,699 babies have been named Watson since 1880, making it today's #1008 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Watson has been recorded 6,699 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #1008 nationally and more common than 93% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2020s. 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.
- #1,499 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,008 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 6,699 born since 1880
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Watson ranks #1,499 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,008 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 6,699 born since 1880, peaking in the 2020s.
- #1,499 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,008 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,699
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
Watson's 6,699 recorded births place it above 96.7% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
39 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Georgia.
How Watson compares
6,699 Top 11% higher than 89% 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
Watson's all-time total is 18x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Watson | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 6,699 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 466 | 34 | 22,252 |
Watson's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Watson's full recorded timeline at 1953, 67% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 33% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1886, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2021 peak of 466 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Watson popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2021)
- 466
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Watson popularity over time - girls
22 total births recorded since 2018 (Watson as girls' name)
Watson by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (2,085 births, 31% of the file).
2020s was Watson's strongest decade.
2,085 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Watson births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 105
1880s
105 births
- 1890s 126
1890s
126 births
- 1900s 123
1900s
123 births
- 1910s 543
1910s
543 births
- 1920s 537
1920s
537 births
- 1930s 375
1930s
375 births
- 1940s 334
1940s
334 births
- 1950s 250
1950s
250 births
- 1960s 154
1960s
154 births
- 1970s 105
1970s
105 births
- 1980s 129
1980s
129 births
- 1990s 155
1990s
155 births
- 2000s 219
2000s
219 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,459 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,085 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 2,085 births (31% of all-time use).
How Watson 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 Watson's total volume
Watson by state
Where Watson concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Georgia | | 329 | 4.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 294 | 4.4% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 192 | 2.9% |
| #4 | California | | 163 | 2.4% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 153 | 2.3% |
| #6 | South Carolina | | 148 | 2.2% |
| #7 | Minnesota | | 143 | 2.1% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 139 | 2.1% |
329 of 6,699 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 39 reporting states.
Watson appears in 39 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Watson? ▼
Where does Watson sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Watson most popular? ▼
Where is Watson most popular? ▼
How long has the name Watson been used? ▼
What names are similar to Watson? ▼
What to do with Watson's data
- Georgia records the most Watsons (329 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Georgia names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Watson
Nearby Names Like Watson
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Watson
Compare Watson side by side: Watson vs Watt Watson vs Wataru Watson vs Watts
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Watson
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Watson: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2021)
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 Watson 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.