Bruce
Bruce was the 536th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 558 babies. Its best year was 1952, when it ranked 25th; the most babies were born in 1956 (14,660). Over the last ten years it has moved down 132 places. More babies were named Bruce in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning from a Norman place name (meaning disputed) · French, Scottish
Say it BROOS /brus/
- Rank in 2025
- #536 boys, down 38 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 558boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195614,660 babies
- Total since 1880
- 388,275babies recorded
What does the name Bruce mean?
Bruce is a Scottish surname of Norman French origin that became a first name. Wiktionary traces it to a Norman place name, Brix, whose meaning is disputed; Wikipedia's surname article adds that some families may take it from Briouze in Normandy or Bruz in Brittany instead. The Scottish Bruces' most famous member was King Robert the Bruce, and Wiktionary describes the first name as a transfer from the surname.
Brix (Norman French, “place name (meaning disputed)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The place-name source is agreed in outline, but which Norman place, and what it meant, is not settled.
Related names: Brus.
See also: French names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bruce' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wikipedia, 'Bruce (surname)', Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts only)
Bruce popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,395 since 1895.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #536 | 558 |
| 2020 | #498 | 587 |
| 2010 | #533 | 485 |
| 2000 | #432 | 563 |
| 1990 | #239 | 1,170 |
| 1980 | #157 | 1,650 |
| 1970 | #94 | 3,482 |
| 1960 | #39 | 10,972 |
| 1950 | #26 | 12,674 |
| 1940 | #55 | 3,789 |
| 1930 | #109 | 1,712 |
| 1920 | #149 | 996 |
| 1910 | #239 | 98 |
| 1900 | #210 | 86 |
| 1890 | #217 | 59 |
| 1880 | #241 | 47 |
How popular is Bruce, counting every spelling?
Bruce has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #541 for boys in 2025, against #536 on the official list, because Kason/Kasen/Casen and Chosen/Chozen/Chozyn and Kyren/Kiran/Kyrin move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Bruce?
558 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bruce (0.15 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Bruce 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 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bruce.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bruce?
About 240,900 people born in the US named Bruce are alive today, with a median age of 67; half are between 58 and 74. That makes Bruce a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Bruce by state
How common Bruce was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Idaho (2.1×), Utah (1.9×), Washington (1.8×), Colorado (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Arkansas, Mississippi, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bruce: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bruce, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Bruce · Sibling names for Bruce
Questions about the name Bruce
What does Bruce mean?
Bruce is usually explained as “from a Norman place name (meaning disputed)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Bruce?
Bruce was the 536th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 558 babies. Its best year was 1952, when it ranked 25th; the most babies were born in 1956 (14,660). Over the last ten years it has moved down 132 places. More babies were named Bruce in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Bruce a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Bruce in the US.
Where is Bruce most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bruce was most common in Idaho (0.66 per 1,000 boys), followed by Utah and Washington.