US rank #6451 Boys' name Peak 1918 8,161 births

Buster — #6451 US boys' name

8,161 babies named Buster in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s1031890s1411900s4671910s17931920s18221930s11031940s8121950s6941960s3551970s2571980s1791990s1412000s992010s1312020s64
#6451
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 55% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

22% of everyone ever named Buster was born in this single decade.

1918
Single peak year

246 babies were named Buster in 1918 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Buster

The Social Security Administration has registered 8,161 babies named Buster between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Buster currently holds the #6451 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1918, when 246 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Buster performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 1,822 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Buster shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Texas, which accounts for 851 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by South Carolina and Oklahoma. In total, SSA state-level files list Buster in 19 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Buster in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 8,161 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Buster at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

8,161

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1918

246 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#6,451

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Buster popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1918)
246
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1000100200300 202420051986196719481929191018911880 8

Buster popularity over time — girls

5 total births recorded since 1918 (Buster as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 5 births
5 1918 5

Buster by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
1,822 births that decade — 22% of Buster's all-time total
1880s1031890s1411900s4671910s17931920s18221930s11031940s8121950s6941960s3551970s2571980s1791990s1412000s992010s1312020s64

Buster by state

Where Buster concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Buster
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
851 10.4%
#2 South Carolina
501 6.1%
#3 Oklahoma
490 6.0%
#4 North Carolina
372 4.6%
#5 Alabama
353 4.3%
#6 Georgia
351 4.3%
#7 Tennessee
336 4.1%
#8 Arkansas
267 3.3%
Texas share of Buster's total US births 10.4%
Even split

851 of 8,161 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 19 reporting states.

Buster appears in 19 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Buster?
8,161 babies have been named Buster since 1880. It currently ranks #6451 among boys. The peak year was 1918 with 246 births.
When was Buster most popular?
Buster was most popular in the 1920s decade with 1,822 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Buster most popular?
The top states for the name Buster are Texas (851 births), South Carolina (501 births), Oklahoma (490 births).
How long has the name Buster been used?
Buster has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Buster?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bush, Buss. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.