Boys' name · peaked in 1951
Bruce name popularity since 1925
374,884 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Bruce. Half of them were born in 1955 or earlier, so the typical Bruce is about 71 years old in 2026. Bruce peaked in 1951 as the #26 name for boys, and it ranked #536 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 374,884
- Named Bruce, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #536
- for boys in 2025 (558 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% boys
- 1,241 girls · 373,643 boys
- Most popular in
- Vermont
- 2.41× its national share
Peak year is the year Bruce made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Bruce births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1956. Measured as a share of all babies, Bruce peaked in 1951.
- Fastest rise: Between 1944 and 1949, Bruce became 1.8× more common, from 1 in 259 baby boys to 1 in 145.
- Steepest fall: Between 1968 and 1973, its share of baby boys fell by 52%, from 1 in 387 to 1 in 814.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Bruce's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Bruce.
Decade by decade
Babies named Bruce in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 62 | 7,472 | – |
| 1930s | 114 | 24,119 | #77 |
| 1940s | 198 | 72,097 | #48 |
| 1950s | 329 | 136,457 | #32 |
| 1960s | 289 | 74,642 | #50 |
| 1970s | 146 | 21,127 | #140 |
| 1980s | 92 | 14,333 | #183 |
| 1990s | 11 | 7,900 | #362 |
| 2000s | 0 | 5,536 | #504 |
| 2010s | 0 | 6,638 | #404 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 3,322 | #536 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
60.9% of babies named Bruce from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Bruce is most popular
The index compares Bruce's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Bruce.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 2.41× | 1,515 |
| Maine | 2.37× | 3,815 |
| North Dakota | 2.16× | 2,560 |
| New Hampshire | 2.16× | 2,556 |
| Minnesota | 2.06× | 14,156 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Bruce's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Bruce.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Bruce (1951).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data