boys' name ★ peaked 1999

Garrison

Meaning son of Gerard Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,757 Trend ↓ Falling 34%

Garrison is an English surname and given name derived from "son of Gerard", and the surname was brought from the patronymic name Gerhardsen during the Viking Invasion.

Rank 2025
#1,757
among boys · ↑25 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
92
named Garrison
How common
1 in 18,566
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1999
353 babies
All-time total
8,514
#1,327 all-time among boys
First recorded
1912
in Social Security records

Garrison popularity over time

8,514 babies have been named Garrison since 1912, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 63 63 6 – #2,156
1920s – 88 88 9 +40% #2,489
1930s – 83 83 8 -6% #1,991
1940s – 109 109 11 +31% #1,597
1950s – 180 180 18 +65% #1,419
1960s – 168 168 17 -7% #1,308
1970s – 244 244 24 +45% #1,686
1980s – 638 638 64 +161% #901
1990s 5 2,003 2,008 201 +215% #566
2000s – 2,412 2,412 241 +20% #661
2010s – 1,807 1,807 181 -25% #952
2020s (to 2025) – 714 714 119 -34% #1,274

Where Garrison is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 86 0.05 outside top 500
2027 81 0.05 outside top 500
2028 77 0.05 outside top 500
2029 74 0.04 outside top 500
2030 71 0.04 outside top 500

Where Garrison is most popular

Boys named Garrison per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.067 per 1,000. Strongest in Kentucky, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Garrison born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Kentucky 16 0.159 +139%
Georgia 36 0.142 +113%
South Carolina 14 0.135 +104%
Tennessee 23 0.127 +91%
Wisconsin 11 0.093 +39%
Texas 74 0.084 +26%
Arkansas 5 0.079 +19%
North Carolina 18 0.070 +6%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -15%
Michigan 11 0.054 -19%
Arizona 6 0.037 -45%
Missouri 5 0.036 -46%
Florida 17 0.036 -46%
Indiana 5 0.031 -53%
Virginia 5 0.026 -60%
California 23 0.025 -62%
Pennsylvania 6 0.023 -66%
New York 7 0.016 -76%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Garrison

Garrison is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,757 in 2025 with 92 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1912, 8,514 American babies have been named Garrison. Its peak came in 1999, when 353 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Garrison stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Garrison?

The median living Garrison is about 22 years old; half are between 13 and 30. An estimated 8,000 people named Garrison are alive in the United States today.

median 22 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Garrison year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 92 #1,757
2024 – – 92 #1,782
2023 – – 107 #1,625
2022 – – 135 #1,383
2021 – – 149 #1,274
2020 – – 139 #1,299
2019 – – 173 #1,128
2018 – – 149 #1,240
2017 – – 169 #1,131
2016 – – 170 #1,140
2015 – – 193 #1,040
2014 – – 206 #999
2013 – – 210 #952
2012 – – 201 #990
2011 – – 151 #1,175
2010 – – 185 #1,045
2009 – – 210 #958
2008 – – 187 #1,025
2007 – – 225 #893
2006 – – 217 #898
2005 – – 229 #822
2004 – – 253 #739
2003 – – 286 #679
2002 – – 283 #661
2001 – – 254 #703
2000 – – 268 #668
1995 – – 172 #817
1990 – – 117 #967
1985 – – 53 #1,323
1980 – – 33 #1,742
1975 – – 17 #2,482
1970 – – 26 #1,722
1965 – – 9 #2,867
1960 – – 9 #2,941
1955 – – 17 #1,924
1950 – – 12 #2,251
1945 – – 11 #2,169
1940 – – 6 #3,249
1935 – – 10 #2,439
1930 – – 10 #2,665
1925 – – 12 #2,489
1920 – – 10 #2,845
1915 – – 5 #4,049
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Garrison, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Garrison?

The median living Garrison is about 22 years old. Half of all living Garrisons are between 13 and 30 years old.

How many people named Garrison are alive today?

An estimated 8,000 people named Garrison are alive in the United States, based on 8,514 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Garrison mean?

Garrison is an English surname and given name derived from "son of Gerard", and the surname was brought from the patronymic name Gerhardsen during the Viking Invasion.

How popular is the name Garrison in 2025?

Garrison ranked #1,757 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 92 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Garrison?

8,514 babies have been named Garrison in the United States since 1912, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Garrison most popular?

Garrison peaked in 1999, when 353 newborns received the name.

Is Garrison a boy or girl name?

Garrison is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Garrison rising or falling?

Garrison is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Garrison become more popular?

Garrison is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 71 boys named Garrison in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Garrison

Names that sound and feel close to Garrison: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Garrison with similar names → More names starting with G →