Total births
386,880
Boys' name · since 1880
Bruce
386,880 babies named Bruce in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1956. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #536
- among boys today
- 386,880
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other boys
Bruce currently ranks #536 among boys' names in America, with 386,880 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bruce has been recorded 386,880 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #536 nationally and more common than 96% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #536 among boys today
- 386,880 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 96% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Bruce is currently the #536 boys' name in America, more common than 96% of boys - 386,880 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #536
- among boys today
- 386,880
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other boys
Bruce vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#536
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 96% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
35% of everyone ever named Bruce was born in this single decade.
1956
Single peak year
14,660 babies were named Bruce in 1956 - its busiest year on record.
How Bruce compares
386,880 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 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
Bruce's all-time total is 1,054x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bruce | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 386,880 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 14,660 | 23 | 22,252 |
Bruce's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Bruce splits its recorded history at 1953: 59% of all births land in the more recent half, 41% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1881 (34 births) -- compare that against the 1956 peak of 14,660 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Bruce at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1956
Current rank
#536
Active since
1880
Bruce popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1956)
- 14,660
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Bruce popularity over time - girls
1,395 total births recorded since 1895 (Bruce as girls' name)
Bruce by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Bruce's strongest decade.
136,457 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Bruce births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 499
1880s
499 births
- 1890s 618
1890s
618 births
- 1900s 836
1900s
836 births
- 1910s 5,577
1910s
5,577 births
- 1920s 13,179
1920s
13,179 births
- 1930s 24,119
1930s
24,119 births
- 1940s
1940s
72,097 births
- 1950s
1950s
136,457 births
- 1960s
1960s
74,642 births
- 1970s 21,127
1970s
21,127 births
- 1980s 14,333
1980s
14,333 births
- 1990s 7,900
1990s
7,900 births
- 2000s 5,536
2000s
5,536 births
- 2010s 6,638
2010s
6,638 births
- 2020s 3,322
2020s
3,322 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 136,457 births (35% of all-time use).
How Bruce 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 Bruce's total volume
Bruce vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Bruce by state
Where Bruce concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 37,517 | 9.7% |
| #2 | California | | 30,783 | 8.0% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 24,480 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 21,448 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 21,117 | 5.5% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 20,992 | 5.4% |
| #7 | Minnesota | | 14,456 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 14,171 | 3.7% |
New York share of Bruce's total US births 9.7%
Even split
37,517 of 386,880 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Bruce appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bruce? ▼
Bruce has been given to 386,880 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #536 as of the latest data. 14,660 babies were born in 1956, its single highest year.
When was Bruce most popular? ▼
Bruce was most popular in the 1950s decade with 136,457 total births. The single peak year was 1956.
Where is Bruce most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bruce are New York (37,517 births), California (30,783 births), Pennsylvania (24,480 births).
How long has the name Bruce been used? ▼
Records for Bruce go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Bruce? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bruno, Bruin, Bruk, Brutus, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Bruce's data
- Bruce's decade-level peak was the 1950s (136,457 total births); usage has since declined to 3,322 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Bruces (37,517 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Bruce
Nearby Names Like Bruce
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bruce
Bruno Boy
#705 18,875 births
Bruin Boy
#3256 673 births
Bruk Boy
#13241 135 births
Brutus Boy
47 births
Brunson Boy
#11048 41 births
Compare Bruce side by side: Bruce vs Bruno Bruce vs Bruin Bruce vs Bruk
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bruce
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Bruce: #536 Boys' Name - 386,880 Births, Peak 1956." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bruce. 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 Bruce 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.