Ross is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Ross means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Ross across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Ross has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Ross is a boy name of Scottish (Gaelic) origin meaning “headland, promontory”. originally a Scottish surname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 82,293 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 7,734 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 18,926 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 958 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 4,697 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 4,823 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Ross per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1985 (1,898/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (1,150/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1990 (771/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1997 (211/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1997 (106/yr).
Ross has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1985, when it ranked #303 nationally (given to 2,512 babies that year).
Rose · Rosa · Rosie · Rhys · Russ · Rosia · Rossie · Risa
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