Houston: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “Hugh's town”
- Origin
- Scottish Gaelic
- Say it
- HYOO-stun · 2 syllables
- Used for
- Boys (98% of all uses)
Transferred from a Scottish surname and place name, from Hugh plus town. It is best known as a surname and place name before modern given-name use.
How popular is Houston?
Babies named Houston in 2024395
2024 rank#701 boys
Peak year2021
Total US babies since 188018,124
Houston is rising: use over the last five years is 1.9× what it was a decade earlier.
Names like Houston
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
Houston questions
What does the name Houston mean?
Houston means "Hugh's town". It comes from Scottish Gaelic. Transferred from a Scottish surname and place name, from Hugh plus town. It is best known as a surname and place name before modern given-name use.
Is Houston a boy or girl name?
Houston is mainly a boy's name in US records (98% of uses since 1880).
How popular is Houston?
395 US babies were named Houston in 2024. Its peak year was 2021.
How do you pronounce Houston?
Houston is usually pronounced HYOO-stun.
Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.