Bode
Bode was the 748th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 347 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 102 places. More babies were named Bode in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning messenger (German/Dutch surname) · German, Dutch
Say it BOH-dee /ˈboʊdi/
- Rank in 2025
- #748 boys, up 73 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 347boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025347 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,759babies recorded
What does the name Bode mean?
Bode is a Dutch, German and Danish surname. Wiktionary gives several sources: the word bode 'messenger', the old personal name Bodo, from Old Saxon bodo 'messenger', and in some cases German Bude 'booth, small house'. As an American boys' name it is recent, popularized by the Olympic skier Bode Miller, whose name was chosen by his parents rather than inherited.
bodo (Old Saxon, “messenger”)bode (Dutch / German, “messenger”)
How sure is this? Probable. Several surname sources share the form.
Pronunciation: Bode Miller's name is said BOH-dee; the German surname is BOH-duh.
Related names: Boden, Bodhi, Bodo.
See also: Germanic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bode', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Bode popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #748 | 347 |
| 2020 | #821 | 280 |
| 2010 | #775 | 287 |
| 2000 | #7,520 | 8 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Bode, counting every spelling?
Bode has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #732 for boys in 2025, against #748 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Bode?
347 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bode (0.10 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Bode born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 24 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bode.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bode?
About 4,700 people born in the US named Bode are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 5 and 16. That makes Bode a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Bode by state
How common Bode was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maine (11.4×), New Hampshire (6.9×), Colorado (3.6×), Minnesota (3.5×), Utah (2.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Alabama, Georgia, New Jersey.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bode: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bode, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Bode · Sibling names for Bode
Questions about the name Bode
What does Bode mean?
Bode means “messenger (German/Dutch surname)” (German, Dutch origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Bode?
Bode was the 748th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 347 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 102 places. More babies were named Bode in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Bode a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Bode in the US.
Where is Bode most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bode was most common in Maine (1.85 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Hampshire and Colorado.