boy's name
Ross
ROSS
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 116,077
Scotland
#328
2024 births
Ross means a headland or a promontory, from Gaelic, and Scotland ranks it 328th — its strongest market, ahead of Ireland at 347th and far ahead of the United States at 1465th. It holds 114,702 lifetime births in our records.
- Ross is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 1985, when 1,898 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 27,175 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Ross over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 951 |
| 1890s | 856 |
| 1900s | 803 |
| 1910s | 3,739 |
| 1920s | 5,293 |
| 1930s | 4,587 |
| 1940s | 6,170 |
| 1950s | 9,536 |
| 1960s | 9,813 |
| 1970s | 7,982 |
| 1980s | 15,816 |
| 1990s | 10,482 |
| 2000s | 3,579 |
| 2010s | 1,862 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 824 |
What Ross means
Ross means a headland, promontory or wooded height. The Gaelic ros covers all three, describing raised or projecting ground rather than one specific feature. The sense is carried unchanged into the modern name.
Where Ross comes from
Ross is the Gaelic ros, a headland or promontory, and in some contexts a wooded height — the ambiguity is in the word itself rather than in the scholarship. It names the historic Scottish county of Ross, and Clan Ross took its name from there. A separate Norman line runs through the place Rots in Normandy, and a third possible source is the Germanic word for a horse, which gives the German Ross. The Scottish landscape sense is much the largest contributor to the name in use today.
Ross in use
Ross peaked in the United States in 1985, when 1,898 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 328th in Scotland on 12 births, 347th in Ireland on 12, 1465th in the United States on 122, 2125th in England and Wales on 12 and 6630th in France, across 116,077 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track. Scotland and Ireland rank it within 19 places of each other.
How popular is Ross?
In 2025, Ross was given to 122 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Ross is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Ross
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ross also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ross over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Ross in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Ross
Sibling names for Ross
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ross — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ross
What does the name Ross mean?
A headland or promontory — the Gaelic ros, which also covers a wooded height.
Is Ross a clan name?
Yes, Clan Ross, named for the historic county in the Scottish Highlands.
Are there other origins?
A Norman place called Rots and a Germanic word for a horse are both proposed, but the Gaelic dominates in use.
Where is Ross most used?
Scotland at 328th, just ahead of Ireland at 347th.
How popular is the name Ross?
In 2025, Ross was given to 122 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Ross a girl's or a boy's name?
Ross is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Ross?
Ross has 1 syllable.
When was Ross most popular?
Ross peaked in 1985, when 1,898 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Ross a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ross currently ranks #328 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.