BabyNameLens · Girl names · Boy names
“Son of Walter (from the medieval short form Wat)” — English origin
Boy's name · #1011 in the US (2025) · 2020s
Watson reached its best rank, #397, in 1882 and ranked #1011 in 2025. About 6,700 boys have carried it since 1880. Its center of gravity has moved: strongest in the South in the 1940s and 1950s, strongest in the Midwest today. It is also an American family name — about 253,000 people carried it as a surname in the 2010 census.
Around the world: about 1 in 5,900 boys in Canada (2024).
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 36 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
Among 52 notable people named Watson:
Political leaders appear 1.62× more often than among typical names — e.g. Watson C. Squire, American politician (Republican) (1838-1926).
Similar names: Orson · Warner · True · Ellison · Judson · Hampton
Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.