Given name & surname
Hudson
“one who is adventurous; an explorer”·“the son of Hugh; from the river”
Hudson is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “one who is adventurous; an explorer” (English) and “the son of Hugh; from the river” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “one who is adventurous; an explorer” (English) and “the son of Hugh; from the river” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Hudson through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 116,169
- 114,287 boys · 1,882 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 8,666 babies
- 2025
- 8,666
- #17 for boys · #2,223 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +25%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8,583 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 17 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 26.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 83 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (685). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 65,102 as a first name in 2020; 129,935 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Hudson’s family of names
In English usage, Hudson shares an earlier linguistic root with HUTSON. Hudson has a related form in Hudsan. Hudson has a related form in Hudsen.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Hudson
- Hudson WilliamsCanadian actor (born 2001)
- Lead BellyAmerican folk and blues musician (1888–1949)1885–1949
- Hudson LeickAmerican actressborn 1969
- Hudson AustinGrenadian revolutionary and politician (1938–2022)
- Tampa RedAmerican Chicago blues musician (1904-1981)
- Hudson MohawkeScottish composer, DJ and music producerborn 1986
- Hudson LoweBritish Army general1769–1844
- HudsonBrazilian footballerborn 1988
- Hudson MaximAmerican inventor (1853–1927)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hudson, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jett
“resembling the jet-black lustrous gemstone”
98% boys · 2% girls
Woods
“a woman of the forest” · “a man of the forest”
98% boys · 2% girls
Ford
“from the water” · “from the river crossing”
>99% boys
Hazleton
“from the hazel-tree town”
>99% boys
Locke
“man of the forest” · “from the fortress”
>99% boys
Crompton
“river bend”
—
Horsley
“from the horse meadow”
>99% boys
Hockley
“from the high meadow”
>99% boys