Boys' name · since 1912

Dude

Since 1912, U.S. Social Security records show 45 babies named Dude, peaking in 1918. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#22,880 of 45,481
all-time among boys
45
born since 1912
1910s
peak decade

45 boys have been named Dude since 1912, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.

Dude has 45 recorded births among boys since 1912, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1910s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 1970.

  • #22,880 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 45 born since 1912
  • 1910s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dude ranks #22,880 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 45 born since 1912, peaking in the 1910s.

#22,880 of 45,481
all-time among boys
45
born since 1912
1910s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Dude's 45 recorded births place it above 49.44% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Dude's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Dude's SSA record in two at 1918 and the more recent half accounts for 56% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 44%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1912, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1918 peak of 8, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Dude popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–1970

Last recorded 1970
Peak year (1918)
8
Annual births at peak, across 59 years of records
456789 19121913191419161918192119291970 5

Dude by decade

1910s is the heaviest window (28 births, 62% of the file).

1910s was Dude's strongest decade.

28 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 62% of all-time use.

Dude births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1910s at 28 births (62% of all-time use).

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Dude? ▼
Dude has been given to 45 babies in the U.S. since 1912, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #22,880 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Its last appearance in the data was 1970. 8 babies were born in 1918, its single highest year.
Where does Dude sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dude ranks #22,880 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Dude most popular? ▼
Dude was most popular in the 1910s decade with 28 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
How long has the name Dude been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Dude since 1912 -- 59 years through the most recent 1970 data.
What names are similar to Dude? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Dudley, Dud. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Dude's data

  • Dude's decade-level peak was the 1910s (28 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 1970s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Dude

Nearby Names Like Dude

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

Dudley Boy
#10698 11,868 births
Dud Boy
17 births

Compare Dude side by side: Dude vs Dudley Dude vs Dud

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Clabe
45 births · Peak 1882
Orr
45 births · Peak 1998
President
45 births · Peak 1919
Lilbern
45 births · Peak 1918
Nathinel
45 births · Peak 1941
Witold
45 births · Peak 1917
Edell
45 births · Peak 1929
Minos
45 births · Peak 1922

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Dude: 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, 1912–1970 (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 Dude 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.