Total births
218
Boys' name · since 1920
Bard
218 babies named Bard in U.S. Social Security records since 1920, with the highest year being 1970. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 218
- total births
- 1920–1979
- years on record
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 36%
- born in that decade
218 boys have been named Bard since 1920, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Bard has 218 recorded births among boys since 1920, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1920 to 1979.
- 218 total births
- 1920–1979 years on record
- 1950s peak decade
- 36% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
218 boys have been named Bard since 1920, peaking in the 1950s, last recorded in 1979.
- 218
- total births
- 1920–1979
- years on record
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 36%
- born in that decade
1950s
Peak decade
36% of everyone ever named Bard was born in this single decade.
1970
Single peak year
13 babies were named Bard in 1970 - its busiest year on record.
Bard's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Bard splits its recorded history at 1958: 49% of all births land in the more recent half, 51% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1920 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1970 peak of 13 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Bard at a glance
Last recorded 1979Peak year
1970
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1920
Bard popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1920–1979
- Peak year (1970)
- 13
- Annual births at peak, across 60 years of records
Bard by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Bard's strongest decade.
79 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Bard births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 11
1920s
11 births
- 1930s 6
1930s
6 births
- 1940s 28
1940s
28 births
- 1950s
1950s
79 births
- 1960s
1960s
55 births
- 1970s
1970s
39 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 79 births (36% of all-time use).
Bard by state
Where Bard concentrates geographically, total births since 1920
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 6 | 2.8% |
California share of Bard's total US births 2.8%
6 of 218 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bard? ▼
Bard has been given to 218 babies in the U.S. since 1920, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 1979. 13 babies were born in 1970, its single highest year.
When was Bard most popular? ▼
Bard was most popular in the 1950s decade with 79 total births. The single peak year was 1970.
Where is Bard most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bard are California (6 births).
How long has the name Bard been used? ▼
Bard has been recorded in Social Security data since 1920, spanning 60 years of data through 1979.
What names are similar to Bard? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Barry, Barrett, Bart, Barney, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Bard's data
- Bard's usage has stayed within range of its 1950s decade-level peak (79 total births) through the 1970s (39) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Bards (6 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bard
Nearby Names Like Bard
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bard
Barry Boy
#1413 181,270 births
Barrett Boy
#187 33,425 births
Bart Boy
16,356 births
Barney Boy
#9895 16,090 births
Barton Boy
#12365 9,371 births
Compare Bard side by side: Bard vs Barry Bard vs Barrett Bard vs Bart
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1920–1979 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Bard: Baby Name Since 1920 - 218 Births, Peak 1970." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bard. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Bard draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.