Head to head · Boys' names
Carlos vs Greyson
#150 vs #149 in 2025
Greyson is a whisker ahead (#149 vs #150 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Greyson is stepping back from its peak, Carlos is holding its place on the charts. On momentum, Carlos has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Carlos leads 3 measures of 6; Greyson leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Carlos #392, Greyson — — Carlos higher
- 1890s: Carlos #376, Greyson — — Carlos higher
- 1900s: Carlos #293, Greyson — — Carlos higher
- 1910s: Carlos #315, Greyson — — Carlos higher
- 1920s: Carlos #257, Greyson — — Carlos higher
- 1930s: Carlos #218, Greyson — — Carlos higher
- 1940s: Carlos #203, Greyson — — Carlos higher
- 1950s: Carlos #175, Greyson — — Carlos higher
- 1960s: Carlos #144, Greyson #3801 — Carlos higher
- 1970s: Carlos #78, Greyson #4272 — Carlos higher
- 1980s: Carlos #75, Greyson #3092 — Carlos higher
- 1990s: Carlos #69, Greyson #1120 — Carlos higher
- 2000s: Carlos #69, Greyson #562 — Carlos higher
- 2010s: Carlos #115, Greyson #135 — Carlos higher
- 2020s: Carlos #145, Greyson #109 — Greyson higher
Carlos stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Greyson took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Carlos | Greyson |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #392 | — |
| 1890s | #376 | — |
| 1900s | #293 | — |
| 1910s | #315 | — |
| 1920s | #257 | — |
| 1930s | #218 | — |
| 1940s | #203 | — |
| 1950s | #175 | — |
| 1960s | #144 | #3801 |
| 1970s | #78 | #4272 |
| 1980s | #75 | #3092 |
| 1990s | #69 | #1120 |
| 2000s | #69 | #562 |
| 2010s | #115 | #135 |
| 2020s | #145 | #109 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Carlos
a free man
The Germanic word behind the name described a man who was free but held no rank. Spanish took the name through the Frankish emperors rather than directly, which is why it arrives with the Latin ending attached.
Karl → Carolus → Carlos
How it traveled
His death set off the largest war Europe had yet fought. He had signed a will leaving everything to a French prince, which would have joined the Spanish and French crowns; England, the Dutch and the Austrians went to war rather than allow it, and the fighting ran for over a decade across Europe and the Americas.
Greyson
son of the steward, or son of Gray
The main reading traces the surname to Middle English greyve, a steward or bailiff who managed land for a lord — so 'son of the greyve'. A second reading takes it simply as 'son of Gray', from the older surname Gray. Both are serious; reference works differ on which came first, and in some families both roads may have ended at the same spelling.
greyve (Middle English: steward, bailiff) → Grayson (English surname) → Grayson (given name) → Greyson
How it traveled
The surname belongs to northern England, where greyve — a steward or overseer — was a working title long before it was anybody's name. Patronymic surnames of that kind (son of the greyve, son of Gray) settled into hereditary use in the late medieval period, and crossed the Atlantic with ordinary families rather than famous ones.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Carlos
KAR-lohs
Two syllables with the stress at the front. Spanish gives the final o a full clear vowel where English reduces it, which is the main audible difference.
- Carlitos — The standard Spanish affectionate form; warm and used well into adulthood.
- Los — The back of the name; informal and heavily American.
- Charlie — Borrowed from the English form; used where a family moves between languages.
Greyson
GRAY-sun
Two syllables, stress on the first, identical in sound to Grayson. The ey spelling never changes how it is said.
- Grey — The standard short form, and a given name in its own right for both boys and girls.
- Greys — Informal, mostly among friends and teammates.
- G — Casual initial-only nickname, common in American schools and sports.
Who has carried each name
Carlos
Carlos Santana (b. 1947) — Guitar legend behind "Smooth"
Carlos Alcaraz (b. 2003) — Youngest men's world No. 1 in tennis history
Carlos Slim (b. 1940) — Once the richest person in the world
Greyson
Greyson Chance (b. 1997) — YouTube piano prodigy turned pop artist
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Carlos if you want…
- a long American recordCarlos was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 25% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 70% for Greyson
Choose Greyson if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsGreyson is stepping back from its peak
- a newer arrivalGreyson entered the US charts in 1965
- a name that feels very nowGreyson is stepping back from its peak
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Carlos
Strengths
- It is recognized instantly across the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking world.
- It has an established affectionate form rather than an improvised one.
- The spelling and the sound agree completely in both languages.
To consider
- It is common enough that a child may not be the only one nearby.
- English speakers reduce the final vowel, which Spanish speakers notice.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
Greyson
Strengths
- Pronounced correctly on sight by almost any English speaker — the ey spelling does not change the sound.
- Has a ready short form in Grey, which also works as a standalone name on adult documents.
- Sits inside a family of names Americans already know well — Grayson, Bryson, Mason — so it needs no explaining.
To consider
- Grayson with an a is the more common spelling in the US, so expect a lifetime of gentle correcting — on forms, in emails, at the coffee counter. Worth deciding now whether that trade is one you want.
- The name's wave is very recent, so it reads clearly as a name of the current generation of children rather than a family heirloom. That also means very few adult Greysons to point to.
- It sounds close to several popular classmates' names — Bryson, Mason, Jackson — and can blur in a noisy room even while remaining the only Greyson on the roster.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Carlos
25%chance Carlos feels dated by 2040
Carlos peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
Greyson
70%chance Greyson feels dated by 2040
Greyson is coming down from a big peak (#77 in 2018). This is the stretch of the cycle where a name starts to sound like the decade it ruled.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Carlos and Greyson in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Carlos and Greyson?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Carlos and Greyson — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Carlos or Greyson — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Carlos or Greyson?
- Greyson, in 2025: Greyson ranked #149 with 2,439 babies; Carlos ranked #150 with 2,418 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Carlos or Greyson?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Carlos moved down 1 place; Greyson moved down 68 places.
- Which is the older name, Carlos or Greyson?
- Carlos was already in use when US records began in 1880; Greyson entered the US charts in 1965. On the American record, Carlos is the older name.
- How many people are named Carlos and Greyson?
- About 274,000 people named Carlos are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 59,500 people named Greyson are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Carloss or Greysons in the classroom?
- Carlos will almost certainly be the only one in school. Greyson will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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