UK name, mostly boys
Carson
A masculine name of English origin signifying "son of a bear".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Carson is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Carson popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #328, with 134 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 157 births.
This profile covers 2,125 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 85% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 3,451 living people in the UK are called Carson. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Carson ranked #328 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 134 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2022, when 157 boys were registered as Carson.
- • Carson ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #91 in 2024.
- • About 3,451 living people in the UK are estimated to have Carson as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.6% of Carson registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#328
2024
Births in 2024
134
Latest year
Peak year
2022
157 births
Estimated living
3,451
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Carson
In England and Wales birth records, Carson has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 99.6% of registrations are for boys and 0.4% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Carson registered for boys
- Ranked #328 in 2024
- 134 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (157 births)
Carson registered for girls
- Ranked #4,598 in 2004
- 3 girls registered in 2004
- Peak: 2001 (5 births)
Meaning
What does Carson mean?
The name Carson has its origins in the ancient Scottish Gaelic language, derived from the word "cairsion," which means "marsh-dweller" or "one who lives in a marshy area." This name likely emerged in the early medieval period, around the 6th to 10th centuries, when Scottish clans and families first began adopting surnames and surnames began to reflect their geographic origins or occupations.
The name Carson was particularly prevalent among families and clans that resided in the Scottish Highlands, where marshy and boggy terrain was common. As a result, it is believed that the name initially referred to individuals who lived in or near these marshy areas, potentially indicating their livelihood or occupation was tied to these regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carson can be found in the ancient Scottish Gaelic text, the Book of Deer, which dates back to the 9th century. This text contains a reference to a individual named "Cairsion mac Beathad," which translates to "Carson, son of Beathad."
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Carson. One of the earliest recorded was Sir Robert Carson (1589-1661), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1626 to 1636. Another prominent figure was Christopher Carson (1809-1868), an American frontiersman and trailblazer who played a significant role in the westward expansion of the United States during the 19th century.
Other notable individuals with the name Carson include the American author and humorist Kit Carson (1809-1868), who gained fame for his writings about life on the American frontier, and the Scottish-American industrialist Robert Carson (1867-1931), who co-founded the Bethlehem Steel Corporation.
Additionally, the name Carson has been carried by several influential figures in the fields of science and academia, such as the American chemist Rachel Carson (1907-1964), whose book "Silent Spring" sparked the modern environmental movement, and the British mathematician and physicist Sir Robert Carson (1830-1892), who made significant contributions to the study of electromagnetism.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Carson over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Carson in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Carson, the clearest high point is 2022. The latest England and Wales figure is 134 births in 2024, compared with 157 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Carson by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Carson was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #311 | 727 | 5 |
| 2010s | #393 | 1,104 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1055 | 275 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2190 | 19 | 4 |
Geography
Where Carson is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Carson. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Carson ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #91 in 2024.
Across the UK
Carson in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#91 in 2024
25 years of NRS records, 1,015 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#202 in 2024
25 years of NISRA records, 331 total registered
Related
Names similar to Carson
- Charlie 104,761
- Callum 65,796
- Connor 53,072
- Cameron 40,394
- Charles 33,091
- Christopher 26,849
- Caleb 15,553
- Corey 12,622
- Carter 11,505
- Cody 11,075
- Conor 10,298
- Christian 9,695
FAQ
Carson: questions and answers
How popular is the name Carson in the UK right now?
In 2024, Carson was ranked #328 for boys in England and Wales, with 134 births registered.
When was Carson most popular?
The peak year on record was 2022, with 157 babies registered as Carson in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Carson?
A masculine name of English origin signifying "son of a bear".
How many people are called Carson in the UK?
A total of 2,125 babies have been registered as Carson across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 1,015 more in Scotland and 331 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Carson most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Carson ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #91 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.