Watson
About Watson
What with the resurgence of W names like Weston and Walter, the prominence of high profile actress Emma and golfer Bubba, and even the attention paid to Watson, the IBM computer on "Jeopardy" (named for IBM's founder, Thomas Watson) this name could be in line for a revival of its own.
Watson is the 20th most common surname in Scotland, meaning the son of Wat, an early nickname for Walter. Among the earliest emigrants to the Virginia Colony from England was John Watson in 1635. Later noted bearers of the surname include Alexander Graham Bell's telephone experiment partner Thomas A. Watson ("Mr. Watson--come here!"), James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA, and actress Emily. Two well known Watsons in fiction are Sherlock Holmes's accomplice, Dr (John) Watson, and Spider-Man's love interest, Mary Jane. All in all: a name with a varied and fascinating heritage.
As of October 2026, Watson ranked #1011 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #397 in 1882.
Editor's take: The name Watson is a boy's name of English origin meaning "son of Wat".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,668 | 93 | 48.4 |
| 2015 | #1,414 | 122 | 63.6 |
| 2016 | #1,442 | 121 | 63.8 |
| 2017 | #1,022 | 198 | 107 |
| 2018 | #715 | 340 | 187.2 |
| 2019 | #696 | 362 | 201.8 |
| 2020 | #603 | 454 | 263 |
| 2021 | #597 | 466 | 266.4 |
| 2022 | #729 | 356 | 203.9 |
| 2023 | #805 | 306 | 178.9 |
| 2024 | #864 | 278 | 161.4 |
| 2025 | #1,011 | 224 | 131.1 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Watson.
- Prescott
- Campbell
- Dace
- Truman
- Palmer
- Allister
- Burke
- Judd
- Louie
- Murray
- Jones
- Chet
- Howie
- Wilson
- Auggie
- Rudy
- Sampson
- Mack
- Murphy
- Perry
Watson on lists
Famous Watsons
- Watson McLean Washburn
American tennis player
- (Lester) Watson Brown
American football player and coach
- Watson Parker
American historian and author
- Watson Cole DeBoer (b. 2017)
son of TV personalities Chelsea and Cole DeBoer of "Teen Mom 2"
- James Dewey Watson
American molecular biologist
Watson in pop culture
- Watson Brewer
Karen's father in Ann M. Martin's "The Baby,Sitters Club" and "Baby,Sitter's Little Sister" series
- Watson
IBM computer who won "Jeopardy!"
- John Hamish Watson
associate of Sherlock Holmes, created by Arthur Conan Doyle