boy's name
Scott
SKOT
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 831,088
the United States
#534
2025 births
Scott is a boy's name meaning a Scot, from the surname given to people from Scotland. It charts in all seven markets, and it now ranks higher in Ireland at 204th than in Scotland at 206th or the United States at 534th.
- Scott is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 1971, when 31,034 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 5,910 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Scott 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 | 484 |
| 1890s | 380 |
| 1900s | 348 |
| 1910s | 1,294 |
| 1920s | 1,913 |
| 1930s | 1,976 |
| 1940s | 12,192 |
| 1950s | 112,035 |
| 1960s | 267,570 |
| 1970s | 195,404 |
| 1980s | 108,744 |
| 1990s | 49,133 |
| 2000s | 16,244 |
| 2010s | 6,893 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,995 |
What Scott means
Scott means a Scotsman, or someone from Scotland. The word originally named an Irish people rather than a Scottish one, which is the opposite of what it now suggests.
Where Scott comes from
Scott is a surname meaning a Scot, and its history inverts the modern sense. The Latin Scoti named a Gaelic people of Ireland who raided and then settled the western coast of what is now Scotland from around the fifth century, founding the kingdom of Dál Riata. The country took its name from these Irish settlers, so a Scot was originally an Irishman. The surname was given in northern England and southern Scotland to people identifiable as coming from the other side of the border. Sir Walter Scott, whose novels effectively invented the romantic image of the Highlands for a global readership, is the bearer who made the surname a plausible first name.
Scott in use
Scott peaked in the United States in 1971, when 31,034 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in all seven markets — 204th in Ireland on 24 births, 206th in Scotland on 21, 250th in Northern Ireland, 534th in the United States on 561, 704th in Canada, 749th in France and 852nd in England and Wales — across 831,088 lifetime births. A name meaning Scotsman now ranking marginally higher in Ireland than in Scotland is a neat closing of the circle, given that the Scoti were Irish to begin with.
How popular is Scott?
In 2025, Scott was given to 561 babies in the United States, ranking #534 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Scott 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 Scott
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Scott also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Scott over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Scott
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Scott 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.
Sibling names for Scott
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Scott — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Scott
What does the name Scott mean?
A Scotsman, or someone from Scotland — though the word originally named an Irish people.
Were the Scoti Irish?
Yes. The Latin Scoti named a Gaelic people of Ireland who settled western Scotland and gave the country its name.
Is Scott a first name or a surname?
It began as a surname and became a common first name in the twentieth century.
How popular is Scott?
204th in Ireland, 206th in Scotland and 534th in the United States. It charts in all six markets.
Is Scott a girl's or a boy's name?
Scott is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Scott?
Scott has 1 syllable.
What are the nicknames for Scott?
Scott is usually shortened to Scotty.
Is Scott a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Scott currently ranks #204 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.