Rawson
English name of uncertain origin, possibly from an Old Norse word meaning "son of Ralph".
Name Census estimates that about 103 living Americans carry the first name Rawson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rawson today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rawson births was 2013 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rawson. 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
103
~ 1 in 3,327,712 Americans
Peak year
2013
10 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,704
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Rawson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rawson from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 67 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rawson 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 Rawson 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 Rawson
The given name Rawson is of English origin, derived from the surname Rawson, which itself is a locational name referring to a person from Rawston or Rawson in Yorkshire, England. The name Rawson is thought to have originated in the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rawson can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Raueson." This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 13th century in England.
In terms of historical references, one notable bearer of the name was Sir Rawson Hart Boddam, a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Bengal from 1828 to 1833. Another was Rawson William Rawson, a British soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Bahamas from 1841 to 1848.
Moving forward in history, we have Rawson Marshall Thurber, an American filmmaker, and screenwriter born in 1976, best known for directing and co-writing the 2004 comedy film "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story."
Another notable bearer of the name is Rawson Marshall Thurber III, an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1970s and 1980s. He was born in 1946 and won three PGA Tour events during his career.
Lastly, Rawson Woodstock Rawson was a British artist and illustrator who lived from 1850 to 1929. He is best known for his illustrations in books such as "The Water Babies" by Charles Kingsley and "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi.
These examples showcase the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who have borne the given name Rawson throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Rawson
People
Rawson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rawson 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
Rawson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rawson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 103 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rawson 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 3,327,712 US residents.
Is Rawson a common name?
We classify Rawson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 116 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rawson most popular?
The single biggest year for Rawson was 2013, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rawson is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rawson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rawson 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.
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.