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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201961peak #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 1961

girls
#2,150
30 births · 1 in 67,283 girls
boys
#40
10,705 births · 1 in 198 boys

Top girls' names in 1961

  1. #1Mary47,682
  2. #2Lisa42,720
  3. #3Susan37,532
  4. #4Linda35,597
  5. #5Karen34,707
  6. #6Patricia28,889
  7. #7Donna28,679
  8. #8Cynthia24,393
  9. #9Sandra24,153
  10. #10Deborah24,107
  11. #2,150Bruce30

Top boys' names in 1961

  1. #1Michael86,974
  2. #2David84,810
  3. #3John79,983
  4. #4James75,969
  5. #5Robert72,977
  6. #6Mark57,796
  7. #7William48,045
  8. #8Richard41,142
  9. #9Thomas37,565
  10. #10Steven32,275
  11. #40Bruce10,705
More about 1961

girls

2,018,495 girls got a published name in 1961; 1 in 67,283 of them was named Bruce, which outranked 71.4% of the 7,527 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Bruce
  1. #2,117Tisa31
  2. #2,117Vivien31
  3. #2,117Wynne31
  4. #2,150Bruce30
  5. #2,150Anglea30
  6. #2,150Apryl30
  7. #2,150Bea30
  8. #2,197Alise29
  9. #2,197Almeda29
  10. #2,197Augusta29

Tied with 46 names at #2,150; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1960
Risers
  1. 997Corinna#1,811#814
  2. 789Sabra#1,637#848
  3. 745Velvet#1,286#541
  4. 601Johnna#1,043#442
  5. 600Damita#1,597#997
Fallers
  1. 317Sheena#980#1,297
  2. 253Lita#909#1,162
  3. 241Jannette#970#1,211
  4. 229Francisca#939#1,168
  5. 214Andra#822#1,036

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

boys

2,124,195 boys got a published name in 1961; 1 in 198 of them was named Bruce, which outranked 99.1% of the 4,657 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 29.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Bruce
  1. #37Jerry11,381
  2. #38Eric11,111
  3. #39Patrick11,052
  4. #40Bruce10,705
  5. #41Frank10,433
  6. #42Peter10,349
  7. #43Craig10,235
Biggest movers since 1960
Risers
  1. 3,171Parrish#4,038#867
  2. 589Brook#1,252#663
  3. 467Osvaldo#1,434#967
  4. 426Shayne#1,152#726
  5. 367Pernell#1,295#928
Fallers
  1. 425Wayde#672#1,097
  2. 380Yancy#923#1,303
  3. 301Jonas#905#1,206
  4. 264Tobin#833#1,097
  5. 253Keenan#748#1,001

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

See the top 100 for 1961