boys' name ★ peaked 1985

Ross

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,465 Trend ↓ Falling 12%

A male given name transferred from the surname, of early 19th century and later usage.

Rank 2025
#1,465
among boys · ↓104 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
122
named Ross · -12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 14,001
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1985
1,898 babies
All-time total
82,293
#361 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Ross popularity over time

82,293 babies have been named Ross 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
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 951 951 95 – #122
1890s 5 851 856 86 -10% #141
1900s – 803 803 80 -6% #186
1910s 47 3,692 3,739 374 +366% #211
1920s 53 5,240 5,293 529 +42% #230
1930s 29 4,558 4,587 459 -13% #239
1940s 17 6,153 6,170 617 +35% #231
1950s 23 9,513 9,536 954 +55% #218
1960s 32 9,781 9,813 981 +3% #224
1970s 46 7,936 7,982 798 -19% #227
1980s 106 15,710 15,816 1,582 +98% #147
1990s 20 10,462 10,482 1,048 -34% #190
2000s 17 3,562 3,579 358 -66% #434
2010s 14 1,848 1,862 186 -48% #923
2020s (to 2025) 12 812 824 137 -26% #1,280

Where Ross 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 119 0.07 outside top 500
2027 117 0.07 outside top 500
2028 115 0.07 outside top 500
2029 114 0.07 outside top 500
2030 112 0.07 outside top 500

Where Ross is most popular

Boys named Ross per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.078 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

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 Ross 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
Utah 31 0.325 +315%
Louisiana 24 0.235 +200%
Mississippi 11 0.194 +147%
Missouri 21 0.152 +94%
Indiana 15 0.094 +20%
Michigan 16 0.078 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 20 0.075 ≈ national
Texas 64 0.073 -7%
Ohio 18 0.068 -13%
Tennessee 12 0.066 -15%
Alabama 6 0.055 -30%
Illinois 14 0.055 -30%
South Carolina 5 0.048 -38%
California 41 0.045 -43%
North Carolina 11 0.043 -45%
New York 15 0.035 -56%
Washington 5 0.031 -61%
Virginia 5 0.026 -66%
Florida 12 0.025 -68%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
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 Ross

Ross is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,465 in 2025 with 122 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 82,293 American babies have been named Ross. Its peak came in 1985, when 1,898 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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

How old are people named Ross?

The median living Ross is about 43 years old; half are between 34 and 61. An estimated 58 thousand people named Ross are alive in the United States today.

median 43 020406080100

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

Ross 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 – – 122 #1,465
2024 – – 139 #1,361
2023 5 #17,137 116 #1,527
2022 – – 151 #1,280
2021 7 #13,222 148 #1,286
2020 – – 136 #1,324
2019 – – 134 #1,346
2018 – – 177 #1,108
2017 6 #15,574 162 #1,162
2016 – – 191 #1,040
2015 8 #12,787 160 #1,165
2014 – – 185 #1,064
2013 – – 194 #1,011
2012 – – 212 #955
2011 – – 214 #934
2010 – – 219 #923
2009 – – 227 #911
2008 – – 258 #844
2007 – – 263 #812
2006 – – 283 #748
2005 – – 313 #672
2004 6 #15,684 351 #612
2003 6 #15,365 378 #583
2002 – – 425 #530
2001 – – 503 #471
2000 5 #17,047 561 #434
1995 – – 1,047 #268
1990 9 #9,065 1,619 #190
1985 14 #5,286 1,884 #147
1980 5 #11,720 1,038 #230
1975 6 #8,774 678 #283
1970 – – 881 #258
1965 – – 987 #233
1960 6 #6,257 1,044 #248
1955 – – 1,028 #224
1950 5 #5,955 769 #236
1945 5 #5,127 555 #240
1940 – – 458 #261
1935 – – 427 #262
1930 – – 500 #251
1925 9 #3,614 559 #235
1920 – – 548 #230
1915 – – 451 #226
1910 – – 103 #232
1905 – – 74 #223
1900 – – 83 #217
1895 – – 73 #198
1890 – – 101 #141
1885 – – 109 #127
1880 – – 69 #185

Famous people named Ross

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

  1. 1 Ross Ulbricht Ross Ulbricht American cybercriminal founder of Silk Road (born 1984) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ross Perot Ross Perot American businessman and politician (1930–2019) Contemporary
  3. 3 Ross Lynch Ross Lynch American singer and actor (born 1995) Contemporary
  4. 4 Ross Kemp Ross Kemp English actor and journalist (born 1964) Contemporary
  5. 5 Ross Marquand Ross Marquand American actor b. 1981 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Ross Martin Ross Martin American actor (1920–1981) Contemporary
  7. 7 Ross Butler Ross Butler American actor b. 1990 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Ross Bagdasarian Ross Bagdasarian American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor (1919–1972) Contemporary
  9. 9 Ross McCormack Ross McCormack Scottish footballer b. 1986 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Ross Robinson American record producer (born 1967) Contemporary
  11. 11 Ross Macdonald Ross Macdonald American writer (1915–1983) Contemporary
  12. 12 Ross Turnbull Ross Turnbull English footballer and coach b. 1985 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Ross Alexander Ross Alexander American actor (1907–1937) Contemporary
  14. 14 Ross Thomas Ross Thomas American actor (born 1981) Contemporary
  15. 15 Ross Powers American snowboarder b. 1979 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Ross Murdoch British swimmer b. 1994 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Ross Hutchins Ross Hutchins British tennis player (born 1985) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Ross?

The median living Ross is about 43 years old. Half of all living Rosss are between 34 and 61 years old.

How many people named Ross are alive today?

An estimated 58 thousand people named Ross are alive in the United States, based on 82,293 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ross mean?

A male given name transferred from the surname, of early 19th century and later usage.

How popular is the name Ross in 2025?

Ross ranked #1,465 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 122 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ross?

82,293 babies have been named Ross in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ross most popular?

Ross peaked in 1985, when 1,898 newborns received the name.

Is Ross a boy or girl name?

Ross is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Ross rising or falling?

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

Will Ross become more popular?

Ross is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 112 boys named Ross 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 Ross?

Well-known people named Ross include Ross Ulbricht (extremist), Ross Perot (politician), Ross Lynch (actor).

Names like Ross

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

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