Boys' name · since 1880
Woodson
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 1,359 babies named Woodson, peaking in 2025. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #4,225 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,421 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,359
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Woodson is the #2421 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 1,359 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Woodson recorded 1,359 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #2421 nationally today, ahead of 83% of boys, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #4,225 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,421 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,359 born since 1880
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Woodson ranks #4,225 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,421 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,359 born since 1880, peaking in the 2020s.
- #4,225 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,421 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,359
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
Woodson's 1,359 recorded births place it above 90.71% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by Kentucky.
How Woodson compares
1,359 Top 27% higher than 73% 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
Woodson's all-time total is 4x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Woodson | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,359 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 56 | 34 | 22,252 |
Woodson's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Woodson splits its recorded history at 1949: 50% of all births land in the more recent half, 50% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1882 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 56 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Woodson popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 56
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Woodson by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (227 births, 17% of the file).
2020s was Woodson's strongest decade.
227 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Woodson births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 30
1880s
30 births
- 1890s 21
1890s
21 births
- 1900s 25
1900s
25 births
- 1910s
1910s
187 births
- 1920s
1920s
170 births
- 1930s
1930s
120 births
- 1940s
1940s
137 births
- 1950s
1950s
94 births
- 1960s 57
1960s
57 births
- 1970s 12
1970s
12 births
- 1980s 30
1980s
30 births
- 1990s 12
1990s
12 births
- 2000s 55
2000s
55 births
- 2010s
2010s
182 births
- 2020s
2020s
227 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 227 births (17% of all-time use).
How Woodson 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 Woodson's total volume
Woodson by state
Where Woodson concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Kentucky | | 37 | 2.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 29 | 2.1% |
| #3 | Missouri | | 6 | 0.4% |
| #4 | Arkansas | | 5 | 0.4% |
37 of 1,359 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Woodson's data
- Kentucky records the most Woodsons (37 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Kentucky names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Woodson
Nearby Names Like Woodson
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Woodson
Compare Woodson side by side: Woodson vs Woodrow Woodson vs Woody Woodson vs Woodie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Woodson
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Woodson: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
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 Woodson 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.