Bruce

Last seen for girls in 1995 at #13,386 · #536 for boys in 2025, 558 births
Given to boys 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1952 · 14,480 births
Debut · boys
47 births
In top 100 · boys
39 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
386,880
since 1880

Bruce over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201942peak #25, 1952boys
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
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#536558
2024#536555
2023#542547
2022#563526
2021#535549
2020#498587
2019#471624
2018#473614
2017#429722
2016#440702
2015#404766
2014#401773
2013#417710
2012#422668
2011#469574
2010#533485
2009#466586
2008#478581
2007#439636
2006#481550
2005#504490
2004#474532
2003#486509
2002#467510
2001#424579
2000#432563
1999#407589
1998#383652
1997#383631
1996#364663
1995#13,3865#362665
1994#331747
1993#321822
1992#291922
1991#11,5096#2611,039
1990#2391,170
1989#2221,212
1988#10,3866#2051,286
1987#7,9878#1991,304
1986#7,7498#1891,348
1985#4,63516#1831,412
1984#6,29110#1751,460
1983#5,82411#1781,439
1982#6,8889#1691,588
1981#8,1287#1641,634
1980#4,32717#1571,650
1979#5,42712#1521,712
1978#4,93113#1511,701
1977#4,94213#1481,700
1976#3,81217#1481,689
1975#5,9849#1401,789
1974#4,22714#1361,854
1973#3,97115#1341,914
1972#3,89415#1212,313
1971#3,06222#1082,973
1970#3,71216#943,482
1969#3,19918#724,041
1968#2,29628#614,486
1967#2,86819#555,067
1966#2,05832#535,843
1965#2,29327#506,325
1964#1,91838#467,890
1963#2,06133#439,275
1962#2,11331#4110,038
1961#2,15030#4010,705
1960#1,98233#3910,972
1959#1,82037#3811,914
1958#1,82036#3612,472
1957#1,95731#3413,882
1956#1,87133#3314,660
1955#1,83933#3214,082
1954#1,73935#3014,155
1953#1,78331#2814,048
1952#1,78131#2514,480
1951#1,61135#2614,090
1950#1,83527#2612,674
1949#1,62733#2612,265
1948#1,90125#2811,065
1947#1,94625#2910,524
1946#2,22818#328,459
1945#2,33914#485,615
1944#2,09617#515,262
1943#1,94920#515,431
1942#2,11717#505,385
1941#2,39713#514,302
1940#2,02916#553,789
1939#3,4297#643,233
1938#2,02116#663,127
1937#2,19614#702,810
1936#2,8579#732,630
1935#3,1568#772,447
1934#2,28913#782,401
1933#2,54011#912,037
1932#2,49012#981,935
1931#2,9729#1011,787
1930#2,20215#1091,712
1929#2,58712#1121,618
1928#1,89720#1121,628
1927#2,55213#1231,459
1926#3,04610#1271,413
1925#4,0287#1301,354
1924#2,97311#1331,311
1923#2,58713#1351,224
1922#2,95811#1421,106
1921#2,63313#1461,070
1920#2,01519#149996
1919#2,64012#151880
1918#2,67412#146988
1917#4,0836#156805
1916#2,02816#162740
1915#3,4347#171663
1914#2,8767#169530
1913#2,8276#175390
1912#178328
1911#2,4635#197155
1910#23998
1909#185121
1908#2,1015#20499
1907#21389
1906#22477
1905#20585
1904#19887
1903#22067
1902#23460
1901#21165
1900#21086
1899#20066
1898#21964
1897#22258
1896#1,4166#21669
1895#1,5925#21365
1894#21163
1893#21264
1892#22660
1891#22750
1890#21659
1889#20562
1888#26245
1887#24144
1886#22855
1885#21356
1884#26940
1883#21550
1882#19366
1881#27034
1880#24147
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Bruce was already there! It came in at #241, and was given to 47 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1881, when fewer than 48 boys a year got the name.

See more about Bruce
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • Held #536 since 2024
  • 38 spots since 2020 (#498#536)
  • 132 spots since 2015 (#404#536)
  • Biggest jump: 77 spots in 1882 (#270#193)
  • Biggest drop: 67 spots in 2010 (#466#533)
Rise & fade · boys
72 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1952 at #25 (14,480 births)
  • Births halved by 1965, 13 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 39 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 39 yrs · run 1932–1970
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 134
  • Highest: 1 in 134 boys born in 1951 were named Bruce (0.75%)
  • Latest: 1 in 3,061 boys born in 2025 (0.03%)
  • Its best rank, #25 in 1952, was only 1 in 134 (0.74%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 35.3% of all boys named Bruce (136,457) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s499#193 (1882)#234
1890s618#200 (1899)#216
1900s836#185 (1909)#210
1910s5,577#146 (1918)#174
1920s13,179#112 (1928)#131
1930s24,119#64 (1939)#83
1940s72,097#26 (1949)#42
1950s136,457#25 (1952)#31
1960s74,642#39 (1960)#50
1970s21,127#94 (1970)#133
1980s14,333#157 (1980)#184
1990s7,900#239 (1990)#334
2000s5,536#424 (2001)#465
2010s6,638#401 (2014)#446
2020s3,322#498 (2020)#535

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.

Bruce in 1942

girls
#2,117
17 births · 1 in 79,454 girls
boys
#50
5,385 births · 1 in 256 boys

Top girls' names in 1942

  1. #1Mary63,256
  2. #2Barbara44,739
  3. #3Patricia39,465
  4. #4Linda31,613
  5. #5Carol30,272
  6. #6Sandra24,994
  7. #7Judith24,792
  8. #8Nancy23,327
  9. #9Betty21,659
  10. #10Carolyn19,978
  11. #2,117Bruce17

Top boys' names in 1942

  1. #1James77,182
  2. #2Robert71,845
  3. #3John66,043
  4. #4William54,890
  5. #5Richard43,593
  6. #6David35,905
  7. #7Charles35,854
  8. #8Thomas31,100
  9. #9Ronald27,138
  10. #10Donald23,955
  11. #50Bruce5,385
More about 1942

girls

1,350,719 girls got a published name in 1942; 1 in 79,454 of them was named Bruce, which outranked 60.6% of the 5,378 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Bruce
  1. #2,046Vertie18
  2. #2,046Wynne18
  3. #2,046Zulema18
  4. #2,117Bruce17
  5. #2,117Adelaida17
  6. #2,117Alana17
  7. #2,117Alinda17
  8. #2,214Adria16
  9. #2,214Alean16
  10. #2,214Aletta16

Tied with 96 names at #2,117; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1941
Risers
  1. 3,567Michal#4,420#853
  2. 1,885Merrily#2,397#512
  3. 1,081Merrilee#1,954#873
  4. 783Jerrilyn#1,610#827
  5. 760Candace#1,418#658
Fallers
  1. 354Rebekah#924#1,278
  2. 350Leatha#830#1,180
  3. 307Nella#993#1,300
  4. 272Arla#934#1,206
  5. 262Vivien#735#997

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

boys

1,381,161 boys got a published name in 1942; 1 in 256 of them was named Bruce, which outranked 98.8% of the 4,044 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Bruce
  1. #47Jimmy5,949
  2. #48Harry5,629
  3. #49Howard5,571
  4. #50Bruce5,385
  5. #51Louis5,151
  6. #52Terry4,810
  7. #53Norman4,683
Biggest movers since 1941
Risers
  1. 2,993Macarthur#3,505#512
  2. 1,546Mcarthur#1,903#357
  3. 655Collin#1,588#933
  4. 514Delmas#1,254#740
  5. 390Colin#713#323
Fallers
  1. 525Otho#971#1,496
  2. 440Florian#918#1,358
  3. 421Martha#960#1,381
  4. 407Watson#951#1,358
  5. 371Gaylen#987#1,358

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

See the top 100 for 1942