Holding steady.
Popularity of Son since 1884
Babies named Son per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1982, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Son's real moment was 1901.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 26 |
| 1890s | 92 |
| 1900s | 119 |
| 1910s | 138 |
| 1920s | 64 |
| 1930s | 5 |
| 1940s | 5 |
| 1950s | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 65 |
| 1980s | 288 |
| 1990s | 158 |
| 2000s | 73 |
| 2010s | 28 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Son is a straightforward word name meaning 'male child,' used primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States. It first appeared in Social Security records in 1884, reached its peak year of recorded usage in 1901, and has remained extremely rare since. The name has never ranked in the top 1000, and data does not provide a one-in-N ratio. In Asian contexts, Son appears as a surname (Korean, Vietnamese) but as a given name it remains an English-origin oddity. Parents today choosing Son may be drawn to its simple, one-syllable sound or its literal meaning, but it is far less common than similar word names like Max or Ray.
In English, Son is a word name meaning 'male child.' It is rarely used as a given name, occasionally seen in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In Korean and Vietnamese, Son is a surname (e.g., Korean 선, Vietnamese Tôn) with separate origins, but as a first name it is uncommon.
Nicknames & variants
Variants: Sohn
Sibling names for Son
Names that share Son's style, for a brother or sister.
