Total births
8,173
Boys' name · since 1880
Buster
8,173 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.
- #6476
- among boys today
- 8,173
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 55%
- more common than other boys
Buster currently ranks #6476 among boys' names in America, with 8,173 babies recorded since 1880.
Buster has 8,173 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #6476 as of the latest data, more common than 55% 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.
- #6476 among boys today
- 8,173 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 55% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Buster is currently the #6476 boys' name in America, more common than 55% of boys - 8,173 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #6476
- among boys today
- 8,173
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 55%
- more common than other boys
Buster vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#6476
of 14,294 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.
How Buster compares
8,173 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Buster's all-time total is 22x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Buster | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 8,173 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 246 | 23 | 22,252 |
Buster's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Buster splits its recorded history at 1953: 20% of all births land in the more recent half, 80% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1881 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1918 peak of 246 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Buster at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#6,476
Active since
1880
Buster popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 246
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Buster popularity over time - girls
5 total births recorded since 1918 (Buster as girls' name)
Buster by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Buster's strongest decade.
1,822 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Buster births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 103
1880s
103 births
- 1890s 141
1890s
141 births
- 1900s 467
1900s
467 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,793 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,822 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,103 births
- 1940s
1940s
812 births
- 1950s 694
1950s
694 births
- 1960s 355
1960s
355 births
- 1970s 257
1970s
257 births
- 1980s 179
1980s
179 births
- 1990s 141
1990s
141 births
- 2000s 99
2000s
99 births
- 2010s 131
2010s
131 births
- 2020s 76
2020s
76 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,822 births (22% of all-time use).
How Buster 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 Buster's total volume
Buster vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Buster by state
Where Buster concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| 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 8,173 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? ▼
Buster has been given to 8,173 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #6476 as of the latest data. 246 babies were born in 1918, its single highest year.
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? ▼
The SSA has tracked Buster since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
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.
What to do with Buster's data
- Buster's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,822 total births); usage has since declined to 76 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Busters (851 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Buster
Nearby Names Like Buster
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Buster
Compare Buster side by side: Buster vs Bush Buster vs Buss
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Buster
Llewellyn #6475
3,414 births · Peak 1916
Richmond #6477
4,305 births · Peak 1921
Zeb #6474
2,750 births · Peak 1979
Sanders #6478
2,392 births · Peak 1951
Sumner #6473
2,444 births · Peak 1920
Alvis #6479
5,206 births · Peak 1924
Haywood #6472
6,541 births · Peak 1919
Garret #6480
13,247 births · Peak 2000
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. "Buster: #6476 Boys' Name - 8,173 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/buster. 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 Buster 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.