Hudson has risen quickly up the charts after emerging at the bottom of the list in 1995, now at Number 112 and climbing.

, Hudson has gotten a boost as a prominent surname over the years, from explorer Henry to heartthrob Rock to director Hugh, the musical Hudson brothers, and Kate Hudson today. It has also been attached to a few prominent starbabies, including the sons of Marcia Gay Hardin, Gena Lee Nolan, and Drew Lachey.

Hudson also benefits from the fashion value of New York, which boasts, of course, the Hudson River. It literally means 'son of Hudd', which was a nickname for both Hugh and Richard in the Middle Ages. Streamlined spelling Hud was the name of the macho title character of an iconic Paul Newman film; John Mellencamp has a son named Hud.

James Barbour pulled a gender switch when he named his daughter Hudson in 2008.