Judson is an English surname meaning "son of Judd", Judd being a medieval short form of Jordan, so the name ultimately goes back to the river Jordan, "to flow down". In America it recalls the missionary Adoniram Judson, after whom Judson University is named, and it works well as a fresh alternative to Hudson and Jackson. Judson has been in the US top 1000 since 2014, peaked at number 856 in 2023 and ranks number 934 in 2025.