Buster
Buster was given to 12 boys in 2025, #6,867 among boys’ names; 8,178 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 2,050 Americans named Buster and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (25% of everyone recorded); the median is 64 years old and half are between 42 and 76.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Buster by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Buster mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Buster is “a male given name.”
/ˈbʌstɚ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Buster?
#6,867 among boys’ names, 2025
Buster fell from #5,327 in 2015 to #6,867 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 8.9 to 7.0 per million.
251 babies in 1918, the peak
Buster peaked in 1918, when 251 babies were given it (246 boys, #379 among boys’ names). The 12 births of 2025 are 5% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #6,867 | 0.01 |
| 2024 | 13 | #6,516 | 0.01 |
| 2023 | 12 | #6,955 | 0.01 |
| 2022 | 21 | #4,727 | 0.01 |
| 2021 | 7 | #9,880 | under 0.01 |
| 2020 | 11 | #7,108 | 0.01 |
| 2019 | 12 | #6,838 | 0.01 |
| 2018 | 10 | #7,705 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 13 | #6,372 | 0.01 |
| 2016 | 13 | #6,413 | 0.01 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 17 | #5,327 | 0.01 |
| 2014 | 18 | #5,089 | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 12 | #6,655 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 11 | #7,135 | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 14 | #5,985 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 11 | #7,141 | 0.01 |
| 2009 | 8 | #9,099 | under 0.01 |
| 2008 | 11 | #7,266 | 0.01 |
| 2007 | 13 | #6,318 | 0.01 |
| 2006 | 6 | #10,853 | under 0.01 |
| 2005 | 14 | #5,604 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 10 | #7,038 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 6 | #9,739 | under 0.01 |
| 2002 | 9 | #7,115 | under 0.01 |
| 2001 | 14 | #5,160 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 8 | #7,531 | under 0.01 |
| 1999 | 10 | #6,093 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 11 | #5,510 | 0.01 |
| 1997 | 10 | #5,699 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 13 | #4,635 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 19 | #3,437 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 12 | #4,826 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 15 | #4,036 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 17 | #3,618 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 16 | #3,655 | 0.01 |
| 1990 | 18 | #3,321 | 0.01 |
| 1989 | 12 | #4,297 | 0.01 |
| 1988 | 16 | #3,221 | 0.01 |
| 1987 | 12 | #3,747 | 0.01 |
| 1986 | 15 | #3,147 | 0.01 |
| 1985 | 17 | #2,843 | 0.01 |
| 1984 | 22 | #2,302 | 0.01 |
| 1983 | 21 | #2,344 | 0.01 |
| 1982 | 19 | #2,520 | 0.01 |
| 1981 | 22 | #2,277 | 0.01 |
| 1980 | 23 | #2,223 | 0.01 |
| 1979 | 35 | #1,637 | 0.02 |
| 1978 | 26 | #1,924 | 0.02 |
| 1977 | 31 | #1,711 | 0.02 |
| 1976 | 27 | #1,834 | 0.02 |
| 1975 | 22 | #2,071 | 0.01 |
| 1974 | 21 | #2,059 | 0.01 |
| 1973 | 20 | #2,049 | 0.01 |
| 1972 | 28 | #1,653 | 0.02 |
| 1971 | 27 | #1,711 | 0.02 |
| 1970 | 20 | #1,998 | 0.01 |
| 1969 | 31 | #1,444 | 0.02 |
| 1968 | 21 | #1,738 | 0.01 |
| 1967 | 19 | #1,815 | 0.01 |
| 1966 | 37 | #1,237 | 0.02 |
| 1965 | 42 | #1,165 | 0.02 |
| 1964 | 34 | #1,352 | 0.02 |
| 1963 | 31 | #1,403 | 0.02 |
| 1962 | 46 | #1,136 | 0.02 |
| 1961 | 39 | #1,263 | 0.02 |
| 1960 | 55 | #1,033 | 0.03 |
| 1959 | 43 | #1,181 | 0.02 |
| 1958 | 55 | #1,027 | 0.03 |
| 1957 | 72 | #889 | 0.03 |
| 1956 | 65 | #924 | 0.03 |
| 1955 | 63 | #941 | 0.03 |
| 1954 | 60 | #952 | 0.03 |
| 1953 | 79 | #807 | 0.04 |
| 1952 | 71 | #831 | 0.04 |
| 1951 | 91 | #726 | 0.05 |
| 1950 | 95 | #703 | 0.05 |
| 1949 | 74 | #798 | 0.04 |
| 1948 | 82 | #743 | 0.05 |
| 1947 | 78 | #777 | 0.04 |
| 1946 | 83 | #716 | 0.05 |
| 1945 | 81 | #668 | 0.06 |
| 1944 | 75 | #718 | 0.06 |
| 1943 | 85 | #697 | 0.06 |
| 1942 | 93 | #667 | 0.07 |
| 1941 | 66 | #763 | 0.05 |
| 1940 | 95 | #610 | 0.08 |
| 1939 | 78 | #672 | 0.07 |
| 1938 | 75 | #701 | 0.07 |
| 1937 | 116 | #539 | 0.11 |
| 1936 | 105 | #562 | 0.10 |
| 1935 | 105 | #563 | 0.10 |
| 1934 | 114 | #552 | 0.11 |
| 1933 | 116 | #528 | 0.12 |
| 1932 | 138 | #489 | 0.13 |
| 1931 | 114 | #548 | 0.11 |
| 1930 | 142 | #501 | 0.13 |
| 1929 | 135 | #507 | 0.13 |
| 1928 | 148 | #497 | 0.13 |
| 1927 | 181 | #454 | 0.16 |
| 1926 | 148 | #494 | 0.13 |
| 1925 | 191 | #430 | 0.17 |
| 1924 | 201 | #433 | 0.18 |
| 1923 | 194 | #436 | 0.18 |
| 1922 | 184 | #454 | 0.17 |
| 1921 | 233 | #398 | 0.21 |
| 1920 | 207 | #409 | 0.19 |
| 1919 | 219 | #396 | 0.22 |
| 1918 | 246 | #379 | 0.24 |
| 1917 | 206 | #391 | 0.22 |
| 1916 | 219 | #370 | 0.25 |
| 1915 | 214 | #367 | 0.25 |
| 1914 | 186 | #342 | 0.28 |
| 1913 | 155 | #328 | 0.30 |
| 1912 | 140 | #310 | 0.33 |
| 1911 | 110 | #242 | 0.49 |
| 1910 | 98 | #240 | 0.50 |
| 1909 | 85 | #238 | 0.52 |
| 1908 | 71 | #250 | 0.46 |
| 1907 | 64 | #264 | 0.44 |
| 1906 | 60 | #256 | 0.45 |
| 1905 | 52 | #274 | 0.39 |
| 1904 | 40 | #312 | 0.31 |
| 1903 | 23 | #414 | 0.19 |
| 1902 | 29 | #369 | 0.24 |
| 1901 | 18 | #456 | 0.17 |
| 1900 | 25 | #456 | 0.17 |
| 1899 | 16 | #484 | 0.15 |
| 1898 | 11 | #669 | 0.09 |
| 1897 | 19 | #443 | 0.17 |
| 1896 | 21 | #425 | 0.18 |
| 1895 | 16 | #505 | 0.14 |
| 1894 | 15 | #523 | 0.13 |
| 1893 | 13 | #543 | 0.12 |
| 1892 | 9 | #762 | 0.07 |
| 1891 | 13 | #499 | 0.13 |
| 1890 | 8 | #753 | 0.07 |
| 1889 | 15 | #483 | 0.14 |
| 1888 | 7 | #830 | 0.06 |
| 1887 | 10 | #593 | 0.10 |
| 1886 | 17 | #433 | 0.15 |
| 1885 | 14 | #502 | 0.13 |
| 1884 | 11 | #577 | 0.10 |
| 1883 | 7 | #733 | 0.07 |
| 1882 | 9 | #661 | 0.08 |
| 1881 | 5 | #883 | 0.05 |
| 1880 | 8 | #688 | 0.07 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Buster a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Buster has been given almost only to boys: 5 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Buster: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Buster, and how old are they?
2,050 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 25% of the 8,178 Americans ever recorded as Buster. The median Buster alive today is 64 years old; half are between 42 and 76.
The 2020 Census counted 1,949 people named Buster (26 women and girls, 1,923 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 2,438 born in the U.S. The Census count is 20% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 312 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 772 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 378 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 252 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 163 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 170 |
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 Buster born?
The states with the most babies named Buster are Texas, South Carolina and Oklahoma, with 39% of its births recorded by state since 1910; South Carolina and Oklahoma are not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 851 | not ranked | 2.0× |
| South Carolina | 501 | not ranked | 3.4× |
| Oklahoma | 490 | not ranked | 3.4× |
| North Carolina | 372 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| Alabama | 353 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Georgia | 351 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| Tennessee | 336 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Arkansas | 267 | not ranked | 2.2× |
| Mississippi | 224 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Kentucky | 222 | not ranked | 1.3× |
Where Buster is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Buster is most over-represented in Oklahoma: since 1910 it was given 3.4 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 Buster with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Buster
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 Buster and names like it
- Compare Buster and WilliardBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sBuster peaked in 1918.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Buster since 1910.
- The top names of 1918The year the most babies were named Buster.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Buster alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with BMost given first.