Boys' name · since 1880

Bud

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 9,502 babies named Bud, peaking in 1928. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#1,240 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#6,804 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
9,502
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade

Yes -- Bud is the #6804 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 9,502 recorded since 1880.

Bud has 9,502 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #6804 as of the latest data, more common than 51% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #1,240 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #6,804 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 9,502 born since 1880
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bud ranks #1,240 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,804 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 9,502 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.

#1,240 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#6,804 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
9,502
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%51.1%
Bud vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Bud's 9,502 recorded births place it above 97.27% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

36 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

36 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Bud compares

9,502 Top 9% higher than 91% 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

Bud's all-time total is 26x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Bud Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 9,502 369 358,536
Peak-year births 215 34 22,252

Bud's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Bud's SSA record in two at 1949 and the more recent half accounts for 31% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 69%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2021, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1928 peak of 215, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Bud popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1928)
215
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
050100150200250 188018981916193419521970198820112025 12

Bud by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (1,882 births, 20% of the file).

1920s was Bud's strongest decade.

1,882 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.

Bud births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,882 births (20% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Bud 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 Bud's total volume

Bud vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 1.8%-72, 7.2%-114, 2.5%-85, 5.4%-111, 3.4%-52, 6.9%-146, 2.3%-146, 3.1%-108, 2.5%-100, 2.2%-47, 11.7%-57, 13%-133, 3.9%-109, 4.2%-35, 6.9%Bud-146, 2.3%Bud
Bud vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Bud by state

Where Bud concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Bud
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
677 7.1%
#2 Michigan
338 3.6%
#3 Ohio
297 3.1%
#4 Texas
278 2.9%
#5 Oklahoma
247 2.6%
#6 Washington
234 2.5%
#7 Illinois
233 2.5%
#8 Georgia
195 2.1%
California share of Bud's total US births 7.1%
Even split

677 of 9,502 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.

Bud appears in 36 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Bud? ▼
Bud has been given to 9,502 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #1,240 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #6,804 of 13,930. 215 babies were born in 1928, its single highest year.
Where does Bud sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bud ranks #1,240 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,804 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Bud most popular? ▼
Bud was most popular in the 1920s decade with 1,882 total births. The single peak year was 1928.
Where is Bud most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bud are California (677 births), Michigan (338 births), Ohio (297 births).
How long has the name Bud been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Bud since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Bud? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Buddy, Buddie, Budd, Buddha. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Bud's data

  • Bud's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,882 total births); usage has since declined to 66 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Buds (677 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 Bud

Nearby Names Like Bud

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bud

Buddy Boy
#4402 22,540 births
Buddie Boy
1,496 births
Budd Boy
1,090 births
Buddha Boy
#11909 6 births

Compare Bud side by side: Bud vs Buddy Bud vs Buddie Bud vs Budd

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Bud

Delbert #6803
46,930 births · Peak 1932
Sanford #6805
15,044 births · Peak 1929
Skylo #6802
13 births · Peak 2025
Giles #6806
4,732 births · Peak 1918
Shivarth #6801
13 births · Peak 2025
Sandy #6807
10,458 births · Peak 1954
Rahzir #6800
13 births · Peak 2025
Howell #6808
3,923 births · Peak 1920

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Bud: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1880–2025 (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 Bud 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.