Watson

Watson: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “son of Wat”
Origin: English
Say it: WAHT-sən · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

Watson is an English surname from a pet form of Walter plus -son. As a first name it reflects surname-style usage.

How popular is Watson?

202484.0 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 Watson in 2024278

2024 rank#864 boys

Peak year2020

Total US babies since 18806,491

Watson is rising: use over the last five years is 6.5× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Watson

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Walterruler of the army · Germanic
JackGod is gracious · English
Hudsonson of Hudd · English
Jacksonson of Jack · English
Cartercart driver · English
Wyattbrave in war · English
Maverickindependent person · English
Masonstoneworker · English

Watson questions

What does the name Watson mean?

Watson means "son of Wat". It comes from English. Watson is an English surname from a pet form of Walter plus -son. As a first name it reflects surname-style usage.

Is Watson a boy or girl name?

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

How popular is Watson?

278 US babies were named Watson in 2024. Its peak year was 2020.

How do you pronounce Watson?

Watson is usually pronounced WAHT-sən.

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.