boys' name ★ peaked 1956

Bruce

Meaning From a Norman place name, Brix, of disputed meaning Gender Boy Rank 2025 #536 Trend → Stable

From a Norman place name, Brix, of disputed meaning.

Rank 2025
#536
among boys · unchanged vs 2024
Babies in 2025
558
named Bruce · +1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,061
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1956
14,693 babies
All-time total
388,275
#89 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Bruce popularity over time

388,275 babies have been named Bruce since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 499 499 50 – #193
1890s 11 618 629 63 +26% #200
1900s 5 836 841 84 +34% #185
1910s 71 5,577 5,648 565 +572% #146
1920s 129 13,179 13,308 1,331 +136% #112
1930s 114 24,119 24,233 2,423 +82% #64
1940s 198 72,097 72,295 7,230 +198% #26
1950s 329 136,457 136,786 13,679 +89% #25
1960s 289 74,642 74,931 7,493 -45% #39
1970s 146 21,127 21,273 2,127 -72% #94
1980s 92 14,333 14,425 1,443 -32% #157
1990s 11 7,900 7,911 791 -45% #239
2000s – 5,536 5,536 554 -30% #424
2010s – 6,638 6,638 664 +20% #401
2020s (to 2025) – 3,322 3,322 554 -17% #498

Where Bruce is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 553 0.32 outside top 500
2027 549 0.32 outside top 500
2028 546 0.32 outside top 500
2029 543 0.32 outside top 500
2030 541 0.32 outside top 500

Where Bruce is most popular

Boys named Bruce per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.317 per 1,000. Strongest in Idaho, Utah, and Washington.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Bruce born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Idaho 27 0.660 +108%
Utah 58 0.608 +92%
Washington 94 0.575 +81%
Colorado 67 0.519 +64%
Iowa 32 0.464 +47%
Nevada 26 0.456 +44%
Missouri 60 0.433 +37%
California 392 0.429 +35%
Alaska 5 0.420 +33%
Virginia 77 0.406 +28%
Florida 178 0.376 +19%
Oklahoma 33 0.373 +18%
New Jersey 74 0.368 +16%
Minnesota 45 0.367 +16%
Michigan 75 0.366 +16%
Kentucky 35 0.349 +10%
Ohio 90 0.340 +7%
Pennsylvania 90 0.339 +7%
District of Columbia 5 0.339 +7%
Illinois 85 0.333 +5%
Massachusetts 45 0.327 ≈ national
Arizona 53 0.324 ≈ national
New York 139 0.321 ≈ national
Wisconsin 37 0.312 ≈ national
Alabama 34 0.311 ≈ national
Indiana 49 0.306 ≈ national
Oregon 23 0.303 ≈ national
Tennessee 54 0.299 -6%
Texas 261 0.296 -6%
North Carolina 74 0.290 -8%
Montana 5 0.284 -10%
Kansas 19 0.277 -13%
Maryland 33 0.277 -13%
New Hampshire 6 0.270 -15%
Georgia 68 0.268 -15%
Connecticut 16 0.236 -25%
South Carolina 21 0.203 -36%
New Mexico 5 0.152 -52%
Louisiana 14 0.137 -57%
Nebraska 5 0.115 -64%
Mississippi 5 0.088 -72%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -75%
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
North Dakota – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Bruce

Bruce is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #536 in 2025 with 558 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 388,275 American babies have been named Bruce. Its peak came in 1956, when 14,693 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Bruce stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Bruce?

The median living Bruce is about 67 years old; half are between 58 and 73. An estimated 260 thousand people named Bruce are alive in the United States today.

median 67 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Bruce year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 558 #536
2024 – – 555 #536
2023 – – 547 #542
2022 – – 526 #563
2021 – – 549 #535
2020 – – 587 #498
2019 – – 624 #471
2018 – – 614 #473
2017 – – 722 #429
2016 – – 702 #441
2015 – – 766 #404
2014 – – 773 #401
2013 – – 710 #417
2012 – – 668 #422
2011 – – 574 #469
2010 – – 485 #533
2009 – – 586 #466
2008 – – 581 #478
2007 – – 636 #439
2006 – – 550 #481
2005 – – 490 #504
2004 – – 532 #474
2003 – – 509 #486
2002 – – 510 #467
2001 – – 579 #424
2000 – – 563 #432
1995 5 #13,736 665 #362
1990 – – 1,170 #239
1985 16 #4,653 1,412 #183
1980 17 #4,347 1,650 #157
1975 9 #6,021 1,789 #140
1970 16 #3,733 3,482 #94
1965 27 #2,302 6,325 #50
1960 33 #1,982 10,972 #39
1955 33 #1,844 14,082 #32
1950 27 #1,838 12,674 #26
1945 14 #2,348 5,615 #48
1940 16 #2,044 3,789 #55
1935 8 #3,184 2,447 #77
1930 15 #2,210 1,712 #109
1925 7 #4,085 1,354 #130
1920 19 #2,021 996 #149
1915 7 #3,479 663 #172
1910 – – 98 #239
1905 – – 85 #205
1900 – – 86 #210
1895 5 #1,624 65 #213
1890 – – 59 #217
1885 – – 56 #213
1880 – – 47 #241

Famous people named Bruce

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Bruce Lee Bruce Lee Martial artist and actor (1940–1973) Contemporary
  2. 2 Bruce Willis Bruce Willis American actor (born 1955) Contemporary
  3. 3 Bruce Dern Bruce Dern American actor (born 1936) Contemporary
  4. 4 Bruce Campbell Bruce Campbell American actor and filmmaker (born 1958) Contemporary
  5. 5 Bruce Boxleitner Actor, United States b. 1950 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Bruce Greenwood Bruce Greenwood Canadian actor and musician (born 1956) Contemporary
  7. 7 Bruce Dickinson Bruce Dickinson English heavy metal singer (born 1958) Contemporary
  8. 8 Bruce McGill Bruce McGill American actor (born 1950) Contemporary
  9. 9 Bruce Hornsby Bruce Hornsby American musician (born 1954) Contemporary
  10. 10 Bruce McLaren Bruce McLaren New Zealand racing driver and motorsport executive (1937–1970) Contemporary
  11. 11 Bruce Davison Bruce Davison American actor b. 1946 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Bruce Abbott Bruce Abbott American actor (born 1954) Contemporary
  13. 13 Bruce Johnston Bruce Johnston American musician (born 1942) Contemporary
  14. 14 Bruce Payne English actor and producer (born 1958) b. 1957 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Bruce Spence Bruce Spence New Zealand-born Australian actor b. 1945 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Bruce McCandless II Bruce McCandless II American aviator and astronaut (1937–2017) Contemporary
  17. 17 Bruce Cabot Bruce Cabot American actor (1904–1972) Contemporary
  18. 18 Bruce Rauner Politician, United States b. 1957 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Bruce Arena Bruce Arena American soccer coach (born 1951) Contemporary
  20. 20 Bruce Bennett Bruce Bennett American actor and athlete (1906–2007) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Bruce, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Bruce?

The median living Bruce is about 67 years old. Half of all living Bruces are between 58 and 73 years old.

How many people named Bruce are alive today?

An estimated 260 thousand people named Bruce are alive in the United States, based on 388,275 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Bruce mean?

From a Norman place name, Brix, of disputed meaning.

How popular is the name Bruce in 2025?

Bruce ranked #536 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 558 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Bruce?

388,275 babies have been named Bruce in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Bruce most popular?

Bruce peaked in 1956, when 14,693 newborns received the name.

Is Bruce a boy or girl name?

Bruce is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Bruce rising or falling?

Bruce is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Bruce become more popular?

Bruce looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 541 boys named Bruce in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Bruce?

Well-known people named Bruce include Bruce Lee (actor), Bruce Willis (actor), Bruce Dern (actor).

Names like Bruce

Names that sound and feel close to Bruce: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Bruce with similar names → More names starting with B →