Fun Facts About the Name Scout
- More than 7 thousand babies named Scout: U.S. records list 7,216 babies given the name Scout from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 2,091 boys received the name Scout - about 1 boy for every 2 girls.
What Does the Name Scout Mean?
Scout is an English word name taken from the common noun scout, which means "one who listens" or "a person sent out to gather information." The noun came into Middle English from Old French escoute, "a lookout, a listening post, a spy," which derives from the verb escouter, "to listen." That verb goes back to Latin auscultare, "to listen," a word connected to auris, "ear."
The oldest sense is a listening post or a person stationed to listen and watch; the familiar military sense of a soldier sent ahead to observe the enemy grew out of that. As a given name, Scout is the English word used directly, not a translation or variant of a name from another language. It is also unrelated in origin to the separate name Scott.
Scout Name History & Origins
Scout has been an English word since the Middle Ages, when scoute, borrowed from Old French escoute, named someone posted to listen for or watch for the enemy. The related verb, to scout, kept the military sense of reconnoitering. In the early 1900s the word gained a new public life when Robert Baden-Powell's Scout movement adopted it for boys and girls trained in outdoor skills and service; that use rests on the older military meaning.
The best-known use of Scout as a personal name in American literature is in Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), where it is the family nickname of the narrator, Jean Louise Finch. In the book it appears as a household nickname rather than a formal given name, so it is a literary use, not evidence of when the name was first given. Scout has also been used as an official given name in modern times, as when the actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis gave it to a daughter in 1991.
How Popular is the Name Scout?
Scout recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2022. Its best rank was #695 in 2022.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #997 | 254 | 0.0158% |
| 2024 | #927 | 285 | 0.0177% |
| 2023 | #822 | 336 | 0.0210% |
| 2022 | #695 | 423 | 0.0258% |
| 2021 | #830 | 333 | 0.0203% |
| 2020 | #872 | 309 | 0.0191% |
| 2019 | #1,044 | 246 | 0.0147% |
| 2018 | #965 | 274 | 0.0161% |
| 2017 | #1,015 | 256 | 0.0148% |
| 2016 | #1,099 | 234 | 0.0132% |
| 2015 | #1,105 | 235 | 0.0132% |
| 2014 | #1,177 | 209 | 0.0117% |
| 2013 | #1,380 | 169 | 0.0096% |
| 2012 | #1,551 | 142 | 0.0081% |
| 2011 | #1,286 | 185 | 0.0105% |
| 2010 | #1,519 | 148 | 0.0083% |
| 2009 | #1,988 | 105 | 0.0057% |
| 2008 | #2,000 | 105 | 0.0056% |
| 2007 | #1,925 | 108 | 0.0056% |
| 2006 | #1,986 | 101 | 0.0053% |
| 2005 | #2,201 | 84 | 0.0045% |
| 2004 | #2,133 | 85 | 0.0046% |
| 2003 | #2,392 | 70 | 0.0038% |
| 2002 | #2,462 | 65 | 0.0036% |
| 2001 | #3,134 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2000 | #3,209 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 1999 | #2,979 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 1998 | #2,723 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 1997 | #3,026 | 40 | 0.0023% |
| 1996 | #3,132 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 1995 | #2,781 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 1994 | #3,596 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1993 | #5,896 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1992 | #7,426 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,400 | 131 | 0.0077% |
| 2024 | #1,486 | 122 | 0.0071% |
| 2023 | #1,339 | 142 | 0.0083% |
| 2022 | #1,101 | 195 | 0.0112% |
| 2021 | #1,500 | 119 | 0.0068% |
| 2020 | #1,823 | 82 | 0.0048% |
| 2019 | #1,866 | 81 | 0.0045% |
| 2018 | #1,852 | 82 | 0.0045% |
| 2017 | #1,913 | 76 | 0.0041% |
| 2016 | #1,825 | 83 | 0.0044% |
| 2015 | #2,103 | 67 | 0.0035% |
| 2014 | #2,340 | 56 | 0.0029% |
| 2013 | #2,040 | 67 | 0.0035% |
| 2012 | #2,030 | 69 | 0.0036% |
| 2011 | #2,433 | 52 | 0.0027% |
| 2010 | #2,206 | 60 | 0.0031% |
| 2009 | #2,345 | 56 | 0.0028% |
| 2008 | #2,287 | 58 | 0.0028% |
| 2007 | #2,712 | 45 | 0.0022% |
| 2006 | #3,075 | 36 | 0.0018% |
| 2005 | #2,746 | 40 | 0.0020% |
| 2004 | #2,564 | 43 | 0.0022% |
| 2003 | #2,461 | 43 | 0.0022% |
| 2002 | #2,286 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 2001 | #2,421 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2000 | #3,138 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 1999 | #2,851 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1998 | #3,003 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1997 | #3,050 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1996 | #2,665 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 1995 | #3,174 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1994 | #3,568 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1993 | #5,706 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1992 | #6,053 | 9 | 0.0005% |
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.
Explore More Lists with Name Scout
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with S
Short Girl Names That Start with S
How the Name Scout Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Scout's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Scout's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.