Ross

Meaning: Headland or promontory
Origin: Scottish Gaelic

Boy's name · #1465 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Few names move less than Ross — on the books since 1880, #1465 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 82,000 boys share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Ross is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 16 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Ross ranks in other countries and regions.

#251 in Scotland (2025) · #344 in Ireland (2025) · #469 in N. Ireland (2025) · #2,106 in England & Wales (2025) · #3,148 in Canada (2024).

Famous Rosses

Ross Barkley — English association football player (born 1993)
Ross Perot — American businessman and politician (1930–2019)
Ross Lynch — American actor and singer
Ross Brawn — British automotive engineer
Ross Macdonald — American writer (1915–1983)

As a surname

It is also an American family name — about 229,000 people carried it as a surname in the 2010 census.

Ronald Ross — British doctor, Nobel laureate, writer, and artist (1857–1932)
Diana Ross — American singer and actress (born 1944)
James Clark Ross — British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862)

In stories & tradition

Ross Geller — Friends (TV series)
Ross Marler^it — Guiding Light (TV series)
Ross Rayburn — One Life to Live (TV series)

What Rosses become

Among 1,352 notable people named Ross:

Sports figures appear 1.92× more often than among typical names — e.g. Ross Barkley, English association football player (born 1993).

Similar names: Van · Roy · Irvin · Ronnie · Clyde · Boyd

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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