Given name & surname
Tyson
“one who is high-spirited; fiery”
Tyson is used as a given name and a surname. One French interpretation is “one who is high-spirited; fiery.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “one who is high-spirited; fiery.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
How it developed
In English usage, Tyson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Dennis. In English usage, Tyson is a short form of Matthias.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Tyson through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 48,713
- 48,395 boys · 318 girls
- Most popular year
- 2009
- 1,491 babies
- 2025
- 565
- #531 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −21%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 565 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 531 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 21.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,491 in 2009. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (52). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 38,788 as a first name in 2020; 27,872 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.
Tyson’s family of names
In English usage, Tyson has a diminutive in Ty. In English usage, Tyson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Dennis. Tyson has a related form in Tysen.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 22
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Tyson
- Tyson GayAmerican sprinterborn 1982
- Tyson FuryBritish boxer (born 1988)
- Tyson ChandlerAmerican basketball player (born 1982)
- Tyson BeckfordAmerican model and actorborn 1970
- Kenny OmegaCanada-born Japanese professional wrestlerborn 1983
- Tyson RitterAmerican singerborn 1984
- Tyson JostCanadian ice hockey forwardborn 1998
- Tyson BarrieCanadian ice hockey playerborn 1991
- Coy StewartAmerican actorborn 1998
Characters named Tyson: Tyson Granger (Beyblade character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Tyson, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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