Buddy
Buddy was the 4418th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 23 babies. Its best year was 1935, when it ranked 202nd with 604 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 522 places. More babies were named Buddy in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Meaning Not yet researched how we research meanings
- Rank in 2025
- #4,418 boys, down 259 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 23boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1935604 babies
- Total since 1880
- 22,585babies recorded
Buddy popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 45 since 1925.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,418 | 23 |
| 2020 | #4,159 | 24 |
| 2010 | #4,382 | 22 |
| 2000 | #2,383 | 40 |
| 1990 | #1,074 | 98 |
| 1980 | #744 | 139 |
| 1970 | #592 | 188 |
| 1960 | #424 | 356 |
| 1950 | #346 | 379 |
| 1940 | #264 | 448 |
| 1930 | #269 | 437 |
| 1920 | #623 | 103 |
| 1910 | #431 | 40 |
| 1900 | #847 | 10 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Buddy, counting every spelling?
Buddy has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Buddy?
23 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Buddy (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Buddy 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 363 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Buddy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Buddy?
About 11,100 people born in the US named Buddy are alive today, with a median age of 63; half are between 48 and 74. That makes Buddy 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.
Buddy by state
How common Buddy was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Buddy: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Buddy, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Buddy
How popular is the name Buddy?
Buddy was the 4418th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 23 babies. Its best year was 1935, when it ranked 202nd with 604 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 522 places. More babies were named Buddy in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Is Buddy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Buddy in the US.
Where is Buddy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Buddy was most common in Texas (0.01 per 1,000 boys), followed by California and California.