Scout
Scout was the 997th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 254 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 691st with 425 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 108 places. More babies were named Scout in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning scout (word name) · English, Old French, Latin
Say it SKOWT /skaʊt/
- Rank in 2025
- #997 girls, down 125 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 254girls
- Girls and boys
- 70% girls, 30% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2022425 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,221babies recorded
What does the name Scout mean?
Scout is the English word for someone sent ahead to gather information. It came into English from Old French escoute 'a listener, spy', from escouter 'to listen', from Latin auscultare 'to listen'. As a first name it comes from Scout Finch, the young narrator of Harper Lee's 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird, whose given name in the book is Jean Louise. SSA records show it for both boys and girls from the 1990s.
escoute (Old French, “listener, spy”)auscultāre (Latin, “to listen”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'scout' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Scout', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Scout popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #997 | #1,400 | 254 | 131 |
| 2020 | #872 | #1,813 | 309 | 83 |
| 2010 | #1,519 | #2,206 | 148 | 60 |
| 2000 | #3,209 | #3,138 | 43 | 28 |
| 1990 | — | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Scout, counting every spelling?
Scout has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #953 for girls in 2025, against #997 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Scout?
254 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Scout (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Scout 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 33 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Scout.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Scout?
About 5,100 people born in the US named Scout are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 4 and 15. That makes Scout a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Scout by state
How common Scout was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (5.5×), Idaho (4.6×), Oregon (3.4×), Oklahoma (3.0×), Colorado (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Scout: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Scout, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Scout · Sibling names for Scout
Questions about the name Scout
What does Scout mean?
Scout means “scout (word name)” (English, Old French, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Scout?
Scout was the 997th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 254 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 691st with 425 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 108 places. More babies were named Scout in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Scout a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 70% girls, 30% boys given the name Scout in the US.
Where is Scout most popular?
In 2021–2025, Scout was most common in Montana (1.40 per 1,000 girls), followed by Utah and Vermont.