Given name & surname
Jackson
“the son of Jack or John”
Jackson is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “the son of Jack or John.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “the son of Jack or John.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Jackson through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 297,998
- 297,220 boys · 778 girls
- Most popular year
- 2013
- 12,626 babies
- 2025
- 6,597
- #36 for boys · #7,271 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −26%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6,582 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 36 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 25.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 12,610 in 2013. It also appeared in 15 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (536). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 239,893 as a first name in 2020; 686,937 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.
Jackson’s family of names
In English usage, Jackson has a diminutive in Jack. In English usage, Jackson has a related form in Jaxon. Jackson has a related form in Jaxon.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Jackson has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 22
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Jackson
- Jackson MartínezColombian footballer (born 1986)
- DeForest KelleyAmerican actor (1920–1999)
- Jackson RathboneAmerican actor and musicianborn 1984
- Jackson IrvineAustralian association football playerborn 1993
- Jackson PorozoEcuadorian association football playerborn 2000
- Jackson Scholzathletics competitor (1897–1986)
- Jackson RichardsonFrench handball playerborn 1969
- Jajá CoelhoBrazilian footballerborn 1986
- Jackson C. FrankAmerican musician1943–1999
Characters named Jackson: Jackson Avery (the television show Grey's Anatomy), Jackson Stewart (Hannah Montana).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Jackson, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“son of JEFFREY” · “the son of Jeffrey”
>99% boys
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Carter
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Hunter
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93% boys · 7% girls
Winston
“of the joy stone; from the friendly town”
99% boys · 1% girls