Scott
Scott was the 534th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 561 babies. Its best year was 1971, when it ranked 10th with 30,901 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 80 places. More babies were named Scott in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning a Scot, someone from Scotland · Latin, English
Say it SKAHT /skɑt/
- Rank in 2025
- #534 boys, up 30 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 561boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 197130,901 babies
- Total since 1880
- 777,605babies recorded
What does the name Scott mean?
Scott began as a surname for a person from Scotland or of Scottish background, much like English, French and Fleming. DMNES derives it from Latin Scotus, a Scot; Wiktionary traces the Old English word for the Scots to the same Latin Scoti. As a first name, Scott comes from the surname. It has been used for American boys since the 19th century.
Scotus (Latin, “a Scot”)Scōtī (Latin, “the Scots”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Scot, Scottie, Scotty.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Scott', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Scott' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Scott
The usual nicknames for Scott are Scotty and Scottie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Scott in the last five years, 23 were named Scottie, against 2 twenty years earlier.
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Scotts go by each one.
Scott popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 2,608 since 1913.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #534 | 561 |
| 2020 | #564 | 498 |
| 2010 | #351 | 873 |
| 2000 | #158 | 2,458 |
| 1990 | #53 | 8,086 |
| 1980 | #33 | 13,300 |
| 1970 | #12 | 28,565 |
| 1960 | #23 | 21,606 |
| 1950 | #82 | 4,268 |
| 1940 | #304 | 338 |
| 1930 | #496 | 145 |
| 1920 | #436 | 192 |
| 1910 | #369 | 49 |
| 1900 | #353 | 39 |
| 1890 | #274 | 40 |
| 1880 | #206 | 60 |
How popular is Scott, counting every spelling?
Scott is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #531 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #534 for Scott on its own. Together these spellings went to 567 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott | 561 | #534 | 2,497 |
| Scot | 6 | #11,771 | 26 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Scott?
561 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Scott (0.16 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Scott born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Scott.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Scott?
About 646,900 people born in the US named Scott are alive today, with a median age of 56; half are between 45 and 63. That makes Scott a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Scott by state
How common Scott was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (2.7×), Massachusetts (1.7×), Oregon (1.6×), Michigan (1.6×), Ohio (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Arkansas, Kentucky, Idaho.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Scott: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Scott, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Scott · Sibling names for Scott
Questions about the name Scott
What does Scott mean?
Scott means “a Scot, someone from Scotland” (Latin, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Scott?
Scott was the 534th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 561 babies. Its best year was 1971, when it ranked 10th with 30,901 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 80 places. More babies were named Scott in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Scott a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Scott in the US.
Where is Scott most popular?
In 2021–2025, Scott was most common in Utah (0.78 per 1,000 boys), followed by Massachusetts and Oregon.