Bud
Bud was given to 12 boys in 2025, #6,866 among boys’ names; 9,502 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 2,850 Americans named Bud and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (30% of everyone recorded); the median is 66 years old and half are between 48 and 75.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Bud by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Bud mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Bud is “a male given name from English.”
/bʌd/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Bud?
#6,866 among boys’ names, 2025
Bud rose from #8,863 in 2015 to #6,866 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 4.2 to 7.0 per million.
215 babies in 1928, the peak
Bud peaked in 1928, when 215 boys were given it, #410 among boys’ names. The 12 births of 2025 are 6% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #6,866 | 0.01 |
| 2024 | 14 | #6,234 | 0.01 |
| 2023 | 13 | #6,592 | 0.01 |
| 2022 | 14 | #6,190 | 0.01 |
| 2021 | 5 | #12,434 | under 0.01 |
| 2020 | 8 | #8,865 | under 0.01 |
| 2018 | 13 | #6,400 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 11 | #7,169 | 0.01 |
| 2016 | 10 | #7,679 | 0.01 |
| 2015 | 8 | #8,863 | under 0.01 |
Every recorded year (139)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 12 | #6,697 | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 7 | #9,799 | under 0.01 |
| 2011 | 6 | #11,016 | under 0.01 |
| 2010 | 8 | #8,917 | under 0.01 |
| 2007 | 12 | #6,675 | 0.01 |
| 2006 | 13 | #6,147 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 9 | #7,311 | under 0.01 |
| 2001 | 10 | #6,515 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 6 | #9,233 | under 0.01 |
| 1999 | 7 | #7,965 | under 0.01 |
| 1998 | 8 | #6,927 | under 0.01 |
| 1997 | 11 | #5,319 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 15 | #4,199 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 11 | #5,162 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 11 | #5,140 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 22 | #3,051 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 13 | #4,344 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 20 | #3,116 | 0.01 |
| 1990 | 29 | #2,372 | 0.01 |
| 1989 | 33 | #2,101 | 0.02 |
| 1988 | 33 | #1,950 | 0.02 |
| 1987 | 34 | #1,865 | 0.02 |
| 1986 | 32 | #1,878 | 0.02 |
| 1985 | 37 | #1,672 | 0.02 |
| 1984 | 22 | #2,301 | 0.01 |
| 1983 | 46 | #1,378 | 0.03 |
| 1982 | 40 | #1,541 | 0.02 |
| 1981 | 43 | #1,458 | 0.02 |
| 1980 | 41 | #1,499 | 0.02 |
| 1979 | 33 | #1,714 | 0.02 |
| 1978 | 33 | #1,658 | 0.02 |
| 1977 | 28 | #1,829 | 0.02 |
| 1976 | 27 | #1,833 | 0.02 |
| 1975 | 37 | #1,456 | 0.02 |
| 1974 | 32 | #1,550 | 0.02 |
| 1973 | 31 | #1,550 | 0.02 |
| 1972 | 38 | #1,365 | 0.02 |
| 1971 | 42 | #1,294 | 0.02 |
| 1970 | 40 | #1,314 | 0.02 |
| 1969 | 41 | #1,233 | 0.02 |
| 1968 | 49 | #1,057 | 0.03 |
| 1967 | 45 | #1,103 | 0.03 |
| 1966 | 50 | #1,028 | 0.03 |
| 1965 | 73 | #859 | 0.04 |
| 1964 | 63 | #961 | 0.03 |
| 1963 | 70 | #891 | 0.03 |
| 1962 | 73 | #890 | 0.04 |
| 1961 | 94 | #785 | 0.04 |
| 1960 | 119 | #714 | 0.06 |
| 1959 | 142 | #645 | 0.07 |
| 1958 | 113 | #704 | 0.05 |
| 1957 | 129 | #670 | 0.06 |
| 1956 | 96 | #748 | 0.05 |
| 1955 | 121 | #662 | 0.06 |
| 1954 | 85 | #774 | 0.04 |
| 1953 | 100 | #713 | 0.05 |
| 1952 | 99 | #703 | 0.05 |
| 1951 | 93 | #719 | 0.05 |
| 1950 | 118 | #636 | 0.07 |
| 1949 | 127 | #605 | 0.07 |
| 1948 | 101 | #670 | 0.06 |
| 1947 | 106 | #669 | 0.06 |
| 1946 | 104 | #630 | 0.06 |
| 1945 | 82 | #664 | 0.06 |
| 1944 | 97 | #623 | 0.07 |
| 1943 | 88 | #684 | 0.06 |
| 1942 | 109 | #603 | 0.08 |
| 1941 | 83 | #673 | 0.07 |
| 1940 | 96 | #602 | 0.08 |
| 1939 | 96 | #587 | 0.09 |
| 1938 | 110 | #553 | 0.10 |
| 1937 | 130 | #505 | 0.12 |
| 1936 | 156 | #450 | 0.15 |
| 1935 | 153 | #458 | 0.15 |
| 1934 | 162 | #444 | 0.16 |
| 1933 | 166 | #426 | 0.17 |
| 1932 | 154 | #461 | 0.15 |
| 1931 | 208 | #390 | 0.20 |
| 1930 | 177 | #441 | 0.16 |
| 1929 | 180 | #440 | 0.17 |
| 1928 | 215 | #410 | 0.19 |
| 1927 | 205 | #424 | 0.18 |
| 1926 | 187 | #441 | 0.17 |
| 1925 | 176 | #455 | 0.16 |
| 1924 | 174 | #466 | 0.15 |
| 1923 | 189 | #443 | 0.17 |
| 1922 | 179 | #464 | 0.16 |
| 1921 | 190 | #448 | 0.17 |
| 1920 | 187 | #444 | 0.18 |
| 1919 | 169 | #450 | 0.17 |
| 1918 | 183 | #438 | 0.18 |
| 1917 | 176 | #428 | 0.19 |
| 1916 | 153 | #455 | 0.17 |
| 1915 | 130 | #488 | 0.15 |
| 1914 | 98 | #493 | 0.15 |
| 1913 | 89 | #460 | 0.17 |
| 1912 | 90 | #409 | 0.21 |
| 1911 | 62 | #349 | 0.27 |
| 1910 | 52 | #354 | 0.27 |
| 1909 | 35 | #420 | 0.21 |
| 1908 | 40 | #360 | 0.26 |
| 1907 | 31 | #407 | 0.21 |
| 1906 | 39 | #330 | 0.29 |
| 1905 | 33 | #361 | 0.25 |
| 1904 | 36 | #336 | 0.28 |
| 1903 | 32 | #341 | 0.27 |
| 1902 | 24 | #415 | 0.20 |
| 1901 | 30 | #325 | 0.28 |
| 1900 | 40 | #343 | 0.27 |
| 1899 | 25 | #362 | 0.24 |
| 1898 | 36 | #322 | 0.29 |
| 1897 | 43 | #273 | 0.38 |
| 1896 | 35 | #316 | 0.29 |
| 1895 | 33 | #317 | 0.28 |
| 1894 | 35 | #295 | 0.30 |
| 1893 | 37 | #286 | 0.33 |
| 1892 | 39 | #292 | 0.32 |
| 1891 | 29 | #310 | 0.29 |
| 1890 | 47 | #246 | 0.42 |
| 1889 | 48 | #233 | 0.43 |
| 1888 | 48 | #252 | 0.40 |
| 1887 | 36 | #270 | 0.35 |
| 1886 | 33 | #298 | 0.30 |
| 1885 | 44 | #248 | 0.41 |
| 1884 | 42 | #264 | 0.37 |
| 1883 | 42 | #254 | 0.40 |
| 1882 | 33 | #300 | 0.29 |
| 1881 | 38 | #257 | 0.38 |
| 1880 | 37 | #277 | 0.33 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Bud a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Bud has been recorded only for boys: SSA lists no girls with the name in 139 years of records (it lists a name only in years with 5 or more babies of a sex).
Girls and boys named Bud: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Bud, and how old are they?
2,850 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 30% of the 9,502 Americans ever recorded as Bud. The median Bud alive today is 66 years old; half are between 48 and 75.
The 2020 Census counted 3,458 people named Bud (39 women and girls, 3,419 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 3,406 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 380 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,280 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 560 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 417 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 88 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 126 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Bud born?
The states with the most babies named Bud are California, Michigan and Ohio, with 30% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 677 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Michigan | 338 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Ohio | 297 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Texas | 278 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Oklahoma | 247 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Washington | 234 | not ranked | 2.1× |
| Illinois | 233 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Georgia | 195 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Missouri | 164 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Alabama | 150 | not ranked | 0.7× |
Where Bud is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Bud is most over-represented in Utah: since 1910 it was given 2.2 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Bud with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 10,592 babies since 1880, Bud is the most given (90% of them).
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Bud
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Bud and names like it
- Compare Bud and BuddBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sBud peaked in 1928.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Bud since 1910.
- English namesWiktionary’s origin for Bud: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1928The year the most babies were named Bud.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Bud alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with BMost given first.