Bear

#853 for boys in 2025, 286 births

Peak · boys
2022 · 332 births
Debut · boys
6 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
3,356
since 1975

Bear over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Bear has never cracked the top 700 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020202020boysat peak
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yearboys
rankbirths
2025#853286
2024#826302
2023#820299
2022#760332
2021#827288
2020#899250
2019#897244
2018#998207
2017#1,020198
2016#1,055187
2015#1,317134
2014#1,329131
2013#1,70986
2012#1,84979
2011#1,73085
2010#2,35454
2009#2,34855
2008#2,58348
2007#4,12724
2006#8,7328
2005#7,09610
2004
2003#8,6437
2002#9,3926
2001#7,5368
2000#9,1126
1999
1998
1997#8,1106
1996
1995
1994#8,8005
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985
1984
1983
1982
1981#6,2625
1980
1979
1978
1977
1976
1975#4,7976
1974
1973
1972
1971
1970
1969
1968
1967
1966
1965
1964
1963
1962
1961
1960
1959
1958
1957
1956
1955
1954
1953
1952
1951
1950
1949
1948
1947
1946
1945
1944
1943
1942
1941
1940
1939
1938
1937
1936
1935
1934
1933
1932
1931
1930
1929
1928
1927
1926
1925
1924
1923
1922
1921
1920
1919
1918
1917
1916
1915
1914
1913
1912
1911
1910
1909
1908
1907
1906
1905
1904
1903
1902
1901
1900
1899
1898
1897
1896
1895
1894
1893
1892
1891
1890
1889
1888
1887
1886
1885
1884
1883
1882
1881
1880
First appearance
1975

The first year at least five boys were named Bear! It came in at #4,797, and was given to 6 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1976–1996, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

Where Bear is popular in 2020

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNHWashington: #605 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 3,317 boysWAIdaho: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNDMinnesota: #648 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 3,572 boysMNIllinois: #944 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 6,831 boysILWisconsin: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedWIMichigan: #983 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 7,119 boysMINew York: #1,042 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 7,968 boysNYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedRIOregon: #432 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 1,935 boysORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedSDIowa: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedIAIndiana: #908 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 6,493 boysINOhio: #1,237 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 10,898 boysOHPennsylvania: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #719 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 5,267 boysCAUtah: #547 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 2,755 boysUTColorado: #549 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 2,789 boysCONebraska: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNEMissouri: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedMOKentucky: #653 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 3,926 boysKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedWVVirginia: #1,023 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 7,733 boysVAMaryland: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedDEArizona: #877 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 6,392 boysAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNMKansas: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedKSArkansas: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedARTennessee: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedTNNorth Carolina: #806 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 5,438 boysNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #547 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 2,535 boysOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedLAMississippi: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedMSAlabama: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedALGeorgia: #1,300 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 10,055 boysGAHawaii: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedHITexas: #841 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 6,269 boysTXFlorida: #938 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 6,939 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Oregon#432 · 1 in 1,935
  2. Oklahoma#547 · 1 in 2,535
  3. Utah#547 · 1 in 2,755
  4. Colorado#549 · 1 in 2,789
  5. Washington#605 · 1 in 3,317

Best ever in a state: #302 in Idaho, 2018.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Oregon#43281 in 1,935
Oklahoma#54771 in 2,535
Utah#54771 in 2,755
Colorado#54991 in 2,789
Washington#605101 in 3,317
Minnesota#64871 in 3,572
Kentucky#65351 in 3,926
California#719361 in 5,267
North Carolina#80691 in 5,438
Texas#841271 in 6,269
Arizona#87751 in 6,392
Indiana#90851 in 6,493
Florida#938131 in 6,939
Illinois#94481 in 6,831
Michigan#98361 in 7,119
Virginia#1,02351 in 7,733
New York#1,042111 in 7,968
Ohio#1,23751 in 10,898
Georgia#1,30051 in 10,055
Alabama
Alaska
Arkansas
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Hawaii
Idaho
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Dakota
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Bear
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 27 spots since 2024 (#826#853)
  • 46 spots since 2020 (#899#853)
  • 464 spots since 2015 (#1,317#853)
  • Biggest jump: 101 spots in 2019 (#998#897)
  • Biggest drop: 60 spots in 2023 (#760#820)
Rise & fade · boys
47 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1975
  • Peaked 2022 at #760 (332 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 8 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 8 yrs · run 2018–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 5,259
  • Highest: 1 in 5,259 boys born in 2022 were named Bear (0.02%)
  • Latest: 1 in 5,972 boys born in 2025 (0.02%)
Era · boys
The 2020s
  • 52.4% of all boys named Bear (1,757) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1970s6#4,797 (1975)#4,797
1980s5#6,262 (1981)#6,262
1990s11#8,110 (1997)#8,455
2000s172#2,348 (2009)#6,619
2010s1,405#897 (2019)#1,426
2020s1,757#760 (2022)#831

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Bear in 2020

boys
#899
250 births · 1 in 6,904 boys

Top boys' names in 2020

  1. #1Liam19,865
  2. #2Noah18,464
  3. #3Oliver14,277
  4. #4Elijah13,238
  5. #5William12,676
  6. #6James12,390
  7. #7Benjamin12,264
  8. #8Lucas11,386
  9. #9Henry10,793
  10. #10Alexander10,268
  11. #899Bear250
More about 2020

boys

1,726,076 boys got a published name in 2020; 1 in 6,904 of them was named Bear, which outranked 93.6% of the 14,060 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 7.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Bear
  1. #896Henrik252
  2. #896Kylen252
  3. #898Khalid251
  4. #899Bear250
  5. #899Alfred250
  6. #899Zev250
  7. #902Graysen249
  8. #902Jair249
  9. #902Zakai249

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 2019
Risers
  1. 587Zyair#1,548#961
  2. 567Jaxtyn#1,152#585
  3. 539Jakobe#1,372#833
  4. 473Kylo#922#449
  5. 461Ander#1,085#624
Fallers
  1. 380Vivaan#875#1,255
  2. 282Alexzander#890#1,172
  3. 268Reyansh#806#1,074
  4. 266Javion#949#1,215
  5. 224Kenny#862#1,086

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 2020