Ranson
English name possibly derived from a surname meaning "son of Randolph".
Name Census estimates that about 261 living Americans carry the first name Ranson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ranson today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ranson births was 2003 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ranson. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
261
~ 1 in 1,313,235 Americans
Peak year
2003
13 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,983
Tracked since 1914
Census
Ranson in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 332 people with the first name Ranson, which placed it at #27,518 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#27,518
National first-name rank
People counted
332
332 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
48.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ranson
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ranson is White at 48.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (15.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ranson described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ranson at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.8% · 162
- Black or African American19.9% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.7% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 21
- Two or more races5.4% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.9% · 13
Popularity
Ranson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ranson from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 62 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ranson by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ranson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ranson
The given name Ranson originated from the Old English language and can be traced back to the 8th century. It is derived from the Old English word "randun," which means "shield" or "protection." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who were known for their bravery and ability to shield or protect others.
In the early medieval period, the name Ranson was primarily found in regions of England, particularly in the northern counties. It was also prevalent in parts of Scotland and Wales, where the influence of Old English was significant. The name's spelling variations included Randun, Randoun, and Randon.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ranson can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Ranson de Barton, who held estates in Lincolnshire.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ranson. In the 13th century, Ranson de Molton was a prominent English knight who fought in the Crusades. Another well-known figure was Ranson Gernon, a 14th-century English nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War.
During the Renaissance period, Ranson Everard (1515-1580) was an English scholar and translator known for his work on ancient Greek texts. In the 17th century, Ranson Holme (1625-1699) was a renowned English heraldic writer and author of "The Academy of Armory."
In the realm of literature, Ranson Dexter (1798-1872) was an American poet and writer who gained recognition for his works celebrating nature and rural life. Another literary figure was Ranson Wilcox (1832-1917), a Canadian writer and journalist who contributed significantly to the development of Canadian literature.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Ranson throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Ranson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ranson as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ranson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ranson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 261 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ranson going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,313,235 US residents.
Is Ranson a common name?
We classify Ranson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 357 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ranson most popular?
The single biggest year for Ranson was 2003, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ranson is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ranson in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 332 people with the name Ranson, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,518 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ranson in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ranson?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ranson leans strongly male. 328 people counted with this name were male (98.8%), compared with 4 female bearers (1.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ranson?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ranson is White at 48.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (15.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ranson most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ranson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.8% (162 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ranson in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ranson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ranson in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ranson still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ranson in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ranson can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Ranson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Ranson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.