Ross is a Scottish surname and clan name from the Gaelic ros, meaning "headland" or "promontory", and it also names a historic county in the Highlands. In the United States the name belonged to Betsy Ross, businessman Ross Perot and the paleontologist Ross Geller on Friends. Ross ranked number 434 in 2000, its best year this century, then faded out of the top 1000 and stands at number 1465 in 2025.