Bruce
A Scottish surname brought over by a Norman family named for a place in Normandy, most often identified as Brix. Robert the Bruce made it famous.
Bruce in 2025
Bruce was given to 558 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 1,086th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 5,941 babies born.
The history of Bruce
Bruce reached its highest point in 1956, when 14,693 babies were given the name, ranking 54th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 50th, in 1952.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 388,275 babies have been named Bruce. Half of them were born before 1955, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Bruce by decade
| Decade | Babies named Bruce | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 499 | 396 |
| 1890s | 629 | 536 |
| 1900s | 841 | 514 |
| 1910s | 5,648 | 347 |
| 1920s | 13,308 | 250 |
| 1930s | 24,233 | 140 |
| 1940s | 72,295 | 54 |
| 1950s | 136,786 | 50 |
| 1960s | 74,931 | 76 |
| 1970s | 21,273 | 210 |
| 1980s | 14,425 | 328 |
| 1990s | 7,911 | 484 |
| 2000s | 5,536 | 897 |
| 2010s | 6,638 | 813 |
| 2020s | 3,322 | 1,011 |
Where Bruce is heading
Bruce has fallen 27% over the past decade, from 766 babies in 2015 to 558 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1956 peak — Bruce is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Bruce
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Bruce.