Total births
1,023
Unisex name · since 1881
Bee
Bee has 1,023 recorded births since 1881 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1991 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 1,023
- total births
- 1881–2000
- years on record
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 26%
- born in that decade
Bee is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 1,023 have been recorded since 1881.
Bee has 1,023 recorded births among boys since 1881, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2000.
- 1,023 total births
- 1881–2000 years on record
- 1980s peak decade
- 26% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
1,023 boys have been named Bee since 1881, peaking in the 1980s, last recorded in 2000.
- 1,023
- total births
- 1881–2000
- years on record
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 26%
- born in that decade
1980s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Bee was born in this single decade.
1991
Single peak year
41 babies were named Bee in 1991 - its busiest year on record.
Bee's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Bee splits its recorded history at 1921: 64% of all births land in the more recent half, 36% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1884 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1991 peak of 41 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Bee at a glance
Last recorded 2000Peak year
1991
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1881
Bee popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2000
- Peak year (1991)
- 41
- Annual births at peak, across 120 years of records
Bee popularity over time - girls
677 total births recorded since 1883 (Bee as girls' name)
Bee by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Bee's strongest decade.
266 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Bee births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 59
1880s
59 births
- 1890s 73
1890s
73 births
- 1900s 82
1900s
82 births
- 1910s
1910s
143 births
- 1920s 101
1920s
101 births
- 1930s 25
1930s
25 births
- 1940s 11
1940s
11 births
- 1950s 6
1950s
6 births
- 1970s 13
1970s
13 births
- 1980s
1980s
266 births
- 1990s
1990s
238 births
- 2000s 6
2000s
6 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 266 births (26% of all-time use).
How Bee 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 Bee's total volume
Bee vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Bee by state
Where Bee concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 223 | 21.8% |
| #2 | Wisconsin | | 73 | 7.1% |
| #3 | Minnesota | | 48 | 4.7% |
| #4 | Kentucky | | 5 | 0.5% |
California share of Bee's total US births 21.8%
Even split
223 of 1,023 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bee? ▼
Bee has been given to 1,023 babies in the U.S. since 1881, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2000. 41 babies were born in 1991, its single highest year.
When was Bee most popular? ▼
Bee was most popular in the 1980s decade with 266 total births. The single peak year was 1991.
Where is Bee most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bee are California (223 births), Wisconsin (73 births), Minnesota (48 births).
Is Bee a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Bee is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 1,023 births, and as a girl's name it has 677 births.
How long has the name Bee been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Bee since 1881 -- 120 years through the most recent 2000 data.
What names are similar to Bee? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Beecher, Beebe. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Bee's data
- Bee's decade-level peak was the 1980s (266 total births); usage has since declined to 6 in the 2000s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Bees (223 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 Bee
Nearby Names Like Bee
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bee
Compare Bee side by side: Bee vs Beecher Bee vs Beebe
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, 1881–2000 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Bee: Baby Name Since 1881 - 1,023 Births, Peak 1991." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bee. 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 Bee 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.