Fun Facts About the Name Anson
- More than 7 thousand babies named Anson: U.S. records list 7,936 babies given the name Anson from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Anson - about 1 girl for every 1,586 boys.
What Does the Name Anson Mean?
Anson is an English surname used as a given name. It is a patronymic, formed from the medieval personal name An plus -son, and its customary meaning is "son of Ann." An was not one fixed name; medieval English speakers used it as a short form of several fuller names, most often the female names Anne and Agnes, and also of the male name Anselm. Because the same short form could stand for more than one full name, "son of Ann" is a customary reading rather than a single fixed translation, and the precise personal name behind any one Anson family line is not always certain.
Anson Name History & Origins
The surname Anson belongs to the large group of English patronymics ending in -son, a type that took shape in the Middle Ages and became especially widespread in northern England. It appears in English records as a hereditary family name; the practice of handing a family surname to a child as a first name is a later English custom.
The best-known holder of the surname is Admiral George Anson (1697 - 1762), who commanded a Royal Navy expedition around the world between 1740 and 1744 and later held senior posts in the British government. His name was given to places, including Anson County, North Carolina. The surname also crossed to North America, where it appears in the names of Anson Jones (1798 - 1858), the last president of the Republic of Texas, and Anson Burlingame (1820 - 1870), an American diplomat who served as minister to China.
As a first name, Anson follows the English pattern of using a family surname as a given name, which became common in the English-speaking world from the 18th century onward. The name also has a literary association: F. Scott Fitzgerald gave it to Anson Hunter, the central figure of his 1926 novella The Rich Boy. That is a later literary use, separate from the name's origin as a surname.
How Popular is the Name Anson?
Anson recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2016. Its best rank was #598 in 1881.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | #17,026 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,728 | 94 | 0.0055% |
| 2024 | #1,390 | 134 | 0.0078% |
| 2023 | #1,290 | 148 | 0.0087% |
| 2022 | #1,245 | 158 | 0.0091% |
| 2021 | #1,252 | 152 | 0.0087% |
| 2020 | #1,058 | 189 | 0.0110% |
| 2019 | #978 | 218 | 0.0122% |
| 2018 | #884 | 246 | 0.0136% |
| 2017 | #789 | 295 | 0.0159% |
| 2016 | #785 | 302 | 0.0159% |
| 2015 | #804 | 287 | 0.0150% |
| 2014 | #809 | 282 | 0.0147% |
| 2013 | #974 | 205 | 0.0108% |
| 2012 | #1,151 | 159 | 0.0084% |
| 2011 | #1,152 | 156 | 0.0082% |
| 2010 | #1,245 | 141 | 0.0073% |
| 2009 | #1,105 | 167 | 0.0084% |
| 2008 | #1,049 | 181 | 0.0089% |
| 2007 | #1,206 | 146 | 0.0070% |
| 2006 | #1,265 | 132 | 0.0064% |
| 2005 | #1,170 | 136 | 0.0068% |
| 2004 | #1,145 | 137 | 0.0069% |
| 2003 | #1,277 | 111 | 0.0056% |
| 2002 | #1,346 | 98 | 0.0050% |
| 2001 | #1,298 | 101 | 0.0052% |
| 2000 | #1,497 | 81 | 0.0041% |
| 1999 | #1,580 | 69 | 0.0036% |
| 1998 | #1,666 | 62 | 0.0032% |
| 1997 | #1,499 | 70 | 0.0037% |
| 1996 | #1,671 | 57 | 0.0030% |
| 1995 | #1,802 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 1994 | #1,795 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 1993 | #1,792 | 47 | 0.0024% |
| 1992 | #1,820 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 1991 | #1,590 | 53 | 0.0026% |
| 1990 | #1,486 | 58 | 0.0028% |
| 1989 | #1,615 | 49 | 0.0024% |
| 1988 | #1,205 | 71 | 0.0037% |
| 1987 | #1,133 | 72 | 0.0039% |
| 1986 | #1,188 | 64 | 0.0035% |
| 1985 | #1,125 | 68 | 0.0037% |
| 1984 | #1,054 | 72 | 0.0040% |
| 1983 | #1,131 | 63 | 0.0035% |
| 1982 | #1,083 | 71 | 0.0039% |
| 1981 | #934 | 93 | 0.0052% |
| 1980 | #867 | 105 | 0.0059% |
| 1979 | #1,137 | 62 | 0.0036% |
| 1978 | #908 | 90 | 0.0055% |
| 1977 | #767 | 123 | 0.0075% |
| 1976 | #873 | 92 | 0.0059% |
| 1975 | #1,043 | 63 | 0.0040% |
| 1974 | #1,215 | 47 | 0.0030% |
| 1973 | #1,312 | 40 | 0.0026% |
| 1972 | #1,210 | 46 | 0.0028% |
| 1971 | #1,746 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1970 | #1,221 | 46 | 0.0025% |
| 1969 | #1,168 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 1968 | #1,577 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1967 | #1,117 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 1966 | #1,283 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 1965 | #1,109 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 1964 | #1,199 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 1963 | #1,629 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1962 | #1,761 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 1961 | #1,390 | 33 | 0.0016% |
| 1960 | #1,860 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 1959 | #1,558 | 26 | 0.0012% |
| 1958 | #1,420 | 30 | 0.0014% |
| 1957 | #1,390 | 32 | 0.0015% |
| 1956 | #1,569 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 1955 | #1,371 | 31 | 0.0015% |
| 1954 | #1,528 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 1953 | #2,190 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1952 | #1,432 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 1951 | #2,056 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1950 | #2,116 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1949 | #1,756 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1948 | #1,884 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1947 | #1,699 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1946 | #1,817 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1945 | #1,408 | 22 | 0.0016% |
| 1944 | #1,285 | 27 | 0.0020% |
| 1943 | #1,638 | 19 | 0.0013% |
| 1942 | #1,270 | 30 | 0.0022% |
| 1941 | #1,334 | 25 | 0.0020% |
| 1940 | #1,435 | 22 | 0.0019% |
| 1939 | #1,579 | 18 | 0.0016% |
| 1938 | #1,903 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1937 | #1,915 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1936 | #1,464 | 21 | 0.0020% |
| 1935 | #1,542 | 20 | 0.0019% |
| 1934 | #1,861 | 15 | 0.0015% |
| 1933 | #2,215 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1932 | #2,648 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1931 | #1,930 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1930 | #2,301 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1929 | #1,523 | 23 | 0.0021% |
| 1928 | #2,051 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1927 | #1,471 | 26 | 0.0023% |
| 1926 | #1,300 | 31 | 0.0028% |
| 1925 | #1,587 | 23 | 0.0021% |
| 1924 | #1,381 | 29 | 0.0026% |
| 1923 | #1,552 | 24 | 0.0022% |
| 1922 | #1,337 | 30 | 0.0028% |
| 1921 | #1,103 | 41 | 0.0037% |
| 1920 | #1,700 | 21 | 0.0020% |
| 1919 | #1,323 | 29 | 0.0030% |
| 1918 | #1,375 | 27 | 0.0027% |
| 1917 | #1,324 | 27 | 0.0029% |
| 1916 | #1,177 | 31 | 0.0035% |
| 1915 | #1,125 | 33 | 0.0039% |
| 1914 | #1,344 | 20 | 0.0031% |
| 1913 | #1,368 | 15 | 0.0029% |
| 1912 | #1,175 | 16 | 0.0037% |
| 1911 | #1,039 | 11 | 0.0049% |
| 1910 | #1,600 | 5 | 0.0026% |
| 1905 | #666 | 13 | 0.0098% |
| 1903 | #1,011 | 6 | 0.0050% |
| 1900 | #1,171 | 6 | 0.0040% |
| 1897 | #1,069 | 5 | 0.0044% |
| 1895 | #982 | 6 | 0.0051% |
| 1894 | #733 | 9 | 0.0078% |
| 1893 | #770 | 8 | 0.0071% |
| 1892 | #961 | 6 | 0.0049% |
| 1891 | #603 | 10 | 0.0099% |
| 1889 | #884 | 6 | 0.0054% |
| 1887 | #824 | 6 | 0.0059% |
| 1886 | #700 | 8 | 0.0072% |
| 1885 | #645 | 9 | 0.0083% |
| 1884 | #614 | 10 | 0.0087% |
| 1883 | #647 | 9 | 0.0086% |
| 1882 | #653 | 9 | 0.0079% |
| 1881 | #598 | 9 | 0.0089% |
| 1880 | #603 | 10 | 0.0091% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Anson Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Anson's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Anson's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.