boys' name ★ peaked 2022

Ransom

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,695 Trend ↑ Rising 24%

Ransom is a male given name which may refer to the following people:Ransom Cook (1794–1881), American inventor Ransom W.

Rank 2025
#1,695
among boys · ↓36 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
97
named Ransom · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,609
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2022
111 babies
All-time total
4,869
#1,808 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Ransom popularity over time

4,869 babies have been named Ransom since 1880, 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 – 115 115 12 – #464
1890s – 114 114 11 -1% #480
1900s – 100 100 10 -12% #609
1910s – 376 376 38 +276% #771
1920s – 423 423 42 +12% #1,007
1930s – 312 312 31 -26% #988
1940s – 312 312 31 0% #1,085
1950s – 274 274 27 -12% #1,295
1960s – 200 200 20 -27% #1,497
1970s – 147 147 15 -26% #1,900
1980s – 217 217 22 +48% #1,957
1990s – 310 310 31 +43% #1,989
2000s – 455 455 46 +47% #2,067
2010s 10 885 895 90 +97% #1,530
2020s (to 2025) – 619 619 103 +15% #1,594

Where Ransom 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 101 0.06 outside top 500
2027 104 0.06 outside top 500
2028 108 0.06 outside top 500
2029 110 0.06 outside top 500
2030 113 0.07 outside top 500

Where Ransom is most popular

Boys named Ransom per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.060 per 1,000. Strongest in Tennessee, Texas, 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 Ransom 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
Tennessee 32 0.177 +196%
Texas 63 0.072 +19%
South Carolina 6 0.058 ≈ national
Virginia 11 0.058 ≈ national
Michigan 11 0.054 -10%
Kentucky 5 0.050 -17%
North Carolina 11 0.043 -28%
Arizona 7 0.043 -29%
California 38 0.042 -31%
Illinois 10 0.039 -35%
Washington 5 0.031 -49%
Georgia 5 0.020 -67%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Ransom

Ransom is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,695 in 2025 with 97 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 4,869 American babies have been named Ransom. Its peak came in 2022, when 111 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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

How old are people named Ransom?

The median living Ransom is about 17 years old; half are between 8 and 41. An estimated 3,200 people named Ransom are alive in the United States today.

median 17 020406080100

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

Ransom 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 – – 97 #1,695
2024 – – 102 #1,659
2023 – – 105 #1,647
2022 – – 111 #1,594
2021 – – 102 #1,643
2020 – – 102 #1,598
2019 5 #17,439 74 #1,993
2018 – – 78 #1,915
2017 – – 100 #1,610
2016 – – 110 #1,530
2015 – – 103 #1,576
2014 – – 93 #1,664
2013 5 #18,689 96 #1,609
2012 – – 78 #1,876
2011 – – 70 #1,983
2010 – – 83 #1,791
2009 – – 67 #2,067
2008 – – 55 #2,370
2007 – – 60 #2,231
2006 – – 56 #2,276
2005 – – 51 #2,321
2004 – – 35 #2,942
2003 – – 29 #3,254
2002 – – 31 #3,000
2001 – – 28 #3,209
2000 – – 43 #2,286
1995 – – 39 #2,130
1990 – – 23 #2,851
1985 – – 30 #1,957
1980 – – 14 #3,211
1975 – – 12 #3,198
1970 – – 10 #3,234
1965 – – 17 #1,977
1960 – – 20 #1,848
1955 – – 28 #1,478
1950 – – 29 #1,358
1945 – – 24 #1,372
1940 – – 30 #1,247
1935 – – 25 #1,388
1930 – – 48 #988
1925 – – 36 #1,197
1920 – – 43 #1,085
1915 – – 61 #771
1910 – – 15 #813
1905 – – 8 #988
1900 – – 12 #775
1895 – – 13 #601
1890 – – 16 #480
1885 – – 12 #572
1880 – – 5 #1,032

Famous people named Ransom

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Ransom Riggs Ransom Riggs American writer (born 1979) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ransom E. Olds Ransom E. Olds American businessman (1864–1950) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Ransom?

The median living Ransom is about 17 years old. Half of all living Ransoms are between 8 and 41 years old.

How many people named Ransom are alive today?

An estimated 3,200 people named Ransom are alive in the United States, based on 4,869 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ransom mean?

Ransom is a male given name which may refer to the following people:Ransom Cook (1794–1881), American inventor Ransom W.

How popular is the name Ransom in 2025?

Ransom ranked #1,695 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 97 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ransom?

4,869 babies have been named Ransom in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ransom most popular?

Ransom peaked in 2022, when 111 newborns received the name.

Is Ransom a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Ransom rising or falling?

Ransom is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ransom become more popular?

Ransom is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 113 boys named Ransom in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ransom?

Well-known people named Ransom include Ransom Riggs (writer), Ransom E. Olds (engineer).

Names like Ransom

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

Compare Ransom with similar names → More names starting with R →