US Name Trends

Scott

A surname for a Scot, originally for a Gaelic speaker from Ireland.

1971peak year
No. 10best rank (1971)
777,605babies since 1880
No. 534rank in 2025

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Scott per year — peak 30,901▬ girls ▬ boys18801900192019401960198020002020

A surname meaning simply 'the Scot,' a midcentury boys' standard.

Scott appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1949 to 1995. Its biggest year was 1971, when 30,901 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 10 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 534 for boys. All told, 777,605 Americans have been given the name since 1880.

Related names

Other spellings on record: Scot (13,732), Scout (7,221) (total births since 1880)

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By the decade

DecadeBirthsBest rank
1880s484No. 200
1890s380No. 253
1900s348No. 326
1910s1,284No. 353
1920s1,908No. 413
1930s1,976No. 335
1940s12,161No. 99
1950s111,819No. 24
1960s266,828No. 11
1970s194,520No. 10
1980s108,144No. 33
1990s49,019No. 53
2000s16,238No. 158
2010s6,893No. 351
2020s2,995No. 534

Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.

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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.