Ross

Ross: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “headland; promontory”
Origin: Scottish Gaelic
Say it: RAWS · 1 syllable
Used for: Boys

From a Scottish surname and place name from Gaelic ros, meaning headland or peninsula. Also used as an English surname and given name.

Scottish names English names Names meaning nature Names meaning sea Short names Surname-style names Classic names

How popular is Ross?

202442.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Ross in 2024139

2024 rank#1,359 boys

Peak year1985

Total US babies since 188082,174

Ross is steady now but far below its 1985 peak.

Names like Ross

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Loganlittle hollow · Scottish Gaelic
Cameroncrooked nose · Scottish Gaelic
IanGod is gracious · Scottish Gaelic
Carsonson of Carr · Scottish Gaelic
Callumdove · Scottish Gaelic
MaxwellMack's stream · Scottish Gaelic
Dallasmeadow dwelling · Scottish Gaelic
Kennethborn of fire · Scottish Gaelic

Ross questions

What does the name Ross mean?

Ross means "headland; promontory". It comes from Scottish Gaelic. From a Scottish surname and place name from Gaelic ros, meaning headland or peninsula. Also used as an English surname and given name.

Is Ross a boy or girl name?

Ross is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Ross?

139 US babies were named Ross in 2024. Its peak year was 1985.

How do you pronounce Ross?

Ross is usually pronounced RAWS.

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.