Unisex name ★ peaked 2018

Karson

Gender Unisex · 9% girls Rank 2025 #453 Trend ↓ Falling 35%
Rank 2025
#453
among boys · ↓56 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
732
named Karson · -16% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,475
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2018
1,413 babies
All-time total
23,500
#805 all-time among boys
First recorded
1966
in Social Security records

Karson popularity over time

23,500 babies have been named Karson since 1966, 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – 5 5 1 – #4,247
1970s – 40 40 4 +700% #3,943
1980s 5 149 154 15 +285% #2,274
1990s 462 694 1,156 116 +651% #963
2000s 678 3,939 4,617 462 +299% #448
2010s 661 10,704 11,365 1,137 +146% #265
2020s (to 2025) 300 5,863 6,163 1,027 -10% #266

Where Karson 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 641 0.38 #475
2027 601 0.35 outside top 500
2028 570 0.33 outside top 500
2029 545 0.32 outside top 500
2030 524 0.31 outside top 500

Where Karson is most popular

Boys named Karson per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.530 per 1,000. Strongest in Mississippi, West Virginia, and Louisiana.

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 Karson 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
Mississippi 201 3.54 +568%
West Virginia 73 2.24 +322%
Louisiana 202 1.97 +273%
Alabama 203 1.86 +251%
South Carolina 167 1.62 +205%
Kentucky 161 1.60 +203%
Arkansas 84 1.33 +151%
Georgia 293 1.16 +118%
Tennessee 196 1.09 +105%
Missouri 122 0.880 +66%
Michigan 179 0.874 +65%
Oklahoma 76 0.859 +62%
Indiana 134 0.836 +58%
Kansas 54 0.787 +49%
North Carolina 194 0.760 +43%
Maryland 88 0.738 +39%
Ohio 194 0.732 +38%
Iowa 45 0.653 +23%
Virginia 119 0.627 +18%
Pennsylvania 164 0.618 +17%
Nebraska 24 0.552 ≈ national
Florida 236 0.498 -6%
Illinois 119 0.466 -12%
Nevada 26 0.456 -14%
Wisconsin 52 0.439 -17%
Texas 367 0.417 -21%
Delaware 6 0.396 -25%
Hawaii 6 0.386 -27%
Utah 36 0.377 -29%
Washington 55 0.336 -37%
Minnesota 41 0.334 -37%
New York 140 0.323 -39%
Idaho 13 0.318 -40%
South Dakota 5 0.269 -49%
Arizona 38 0.232 -56%
New Hampshire 5 0.225 -57%
Oregon 17 0.224 -58%
Colorado 27 0.209 -60%
Massachusetts 26 0.189 -64%
New Jersey 38 0.189 -64%
California 172 0.188 -64%
Connecticut 9 0.133 -75%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Karson

Karson is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #453 in 2025 with 690 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1966, 23,500 American babies have been named Karson, about 91% boys and 9% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2018, when 1,413 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Karson stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Karson?

The median living Karson is about 10 years old; half are between 5 and 16. An estimated 23 thousand people named Karson are alive in the United States today.

median 10 020406080100

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

Karson 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 42 #3,612 690 #453
2024 52 #3,101 819 #397
2023 49 #3,298 987 #338
2022 57 #2,946 988 #339
2021 47 #3,367 1,090 #305
2020 53 #3,044 1,289 #266
2019 55 #2,976 1,331 #270
2018 68 #2,575 1,345 #265
2017 64 #2,703 1,269 #286
2016 84 #2,280 1,104 #318
2015 66 #2,701 1,226 #293
2014 53 #3,126 1,039 #328
2013 75 #2,423 979 #332
2012 63 #2,792 838 #364
2011 65 #2,709 813 #366
2010 68 #2,656 760 #380
2009 59 #2,955 619 #448
2008 50 #3,353 566 #487
2007 47 #3,506 473 #542
2006 54 #3,117 450 #560
2005 77 #2,326 379 #597
2004 67 #2,514 354 #605
2003 85 #2,088 336 #617
2002 62 #2,535 270 #679
2001 89 #1,948 254 #704
2000 88 #1,928 238 #726
1995 37 #3,124 66 #1,470
1990 11 #7,566 23 #2,827
1985 – – 17 #2,893
1980 5 #11,125 12 #3,512
1975 – – 5 #5,899
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Karson?

The median living Karson is about 10 years old. Half of all living Karsons are between 5 and 16 years old.

How many people named Karson are alive today?

An estimated 23 thousand people named Karson are alive in the United States, based on 23,500 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Karson in 2025?

Karson ranked #453 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 690 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Karson?

23,500 babies have been named Karson in the United States since 1966, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Karson most popular?

Karson peaked in 2018, when 1,413 newborns received the name.

Is Karson a boy or girl name?

Karson is used for both: about 9% of babies named Karson have been girls and 91% boys.

Is the name Karson rising or falling?

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

Will Karson become more popular?

Karson is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 524 boys named Karson in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Karson

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

Compare Karson with similar names → More names starting with K →