Boys' name · since 1975
Bear
Bear has 3,356 recorded births since 1975 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2022 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2,349 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #854 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,356
- born since 1975
- 2020s
- peak decade
3,356 babies have been named Bear since 1975, making it today's #854 boys' name.
Bear has 3,356 recorded births among boys since 1975, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #854 as of the latest data, more common than 94% of boys, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1975 to 2025.
- #2,349 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #854 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 3,356 born since 1975
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bear ranks #2,349 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #854 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,356 born since 1975, peaking in the 2020s.
- #2,349 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #854 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,356
- born since 1975
- 2020s
- peak decade
Bear's 3,356 recorded births place it above 94.83% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
35 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Bear compares
3,356 Top 16% higher than 84% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Bear's all-time total is 9x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bear | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,356 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 332 | 34 | 22,252 |
Bear's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Bear's SSA record in two at 2011 and the more recent half accounts for 93% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 7%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1981, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2022 peak of 332, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Bear popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1975–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 332
- Annual births at peak, across 51 years of records
Bear by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (1,757 births, 52% of the file).
2020s was Bear's strongest decade.
1,757 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 52% of all-time use.
Bear births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 6
1970s
6 births
- 1980s 5
1980s
5 births
- 1990s 11
1990s
11 births
- 2000s 172
2000s
172 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,405 births
- 2020s
2020s
1,757 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 1,757 births (52% of all-time use).
How Bear compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Bear's total volume
Bear by state
Where Bear concentrates geographically, total births since 1975
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 383 | 11.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 312 | 9.3% |
| #3 | Florida | | 149 | 4.4% |
| #4 | Colorado | | 113 | 3.4% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 102 | 3.0% |
| #6 | Washington | | 90 | 2.7% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 76 | 2.3% |
| #8 | Utah | | 75 | 2.2% |
383 of 3,356 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 35 reporting states.
Bear appears in 35 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bear? ▼
Where does Bear sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Bear most popular? ▼
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What to do with Bear's data
- California records the most Bears (383 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bear
Nearby Names Like Bear
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bear
Compare Bear side by side: Bear vs Beau Bear vs Beaux Bear vs Beauford
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bear
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bear: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2022)
Similar record span (~50 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1975–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Bear 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 August 2026.