Anson

Meaning of Anson

Anson is an English patronymic that literally means “son of Ann,” though etymologists occasionally argue for Andrew or even Agnes—proof that naming may be the oldest family dispute on record. Promoted from surname to given name after Admiral George Anson’s celebrated 18th-century voyage, it crossed the Atlantic with colonists and has lingered in U.S. birth records ever since, peaking at a modest No. 441 in 1914 and settling into the comfortable 600–800 band in recent decades (No. 790 in 2024). The name’s appeal lies in its trim, two-syllable cadence, its built-in nickname “Sonny,” and a faint whiff of sea spray that never quite evaporates. American history supplies a few footnotes—Anson Jones, last president of the Republic of Texas, and baseball pioneer “Cap” Anson—yet the moniker has largely avoided celebrity congestion, maintaining what marketers might call “exclusivity through understatement.” For parents seeking a classic that feels quietly self-assured rather than fashion-driven, Anson fits the brief with nautical neatness.