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.
- #5,060 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 1,023
- born since 1881
- 1980s
- peak 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.
- #5,060 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 1,023 born since 1881
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bee ranks #5,060 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 1,023 born since 1881, peaking in the 1980s.
- #5,060 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 1,023
- born since 1881
- 1980s
- peak decade
Bee's 1,023 recorded births place it above 88.86% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by California.
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 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
1980s is the heaviest window (266 births, 26% of the file).
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 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% |
223 of 1,023 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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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
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
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bee: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1991)
Similar record span (~119 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, 1881–2000 (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 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 August 2026.