Buster
An American nickname from the word buster, applied to a boisterous boy or someone who breaks things. The silent film comic Buster Keaton made it known.
Buster in 2025
Buster was given to 12 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 14,455th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 276,279 babies born.
The history of Buster
Buster reached its highest point in 1918, when 251 babies were given the name, ranking 780th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 628th, in 1911.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 8,178 babies have been named Buster. Half of them were born before 1928, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Buster by decade
| Decade | Babies named Buster | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 103 | 960 |
| 1890s | 141 | 1,106 |
| 1900s | 467 | 635 |
| 1910s | 1,798 | 628 |
| 1920s | 1,822 | 838 |
| 1930s | 1,103 | 1,026 |
| 1940s | 812 | 1,281 |
| 1950s | 694 | 1,572 |
| 1960s | 355 | 2,422 |
| 1970s | 257 | 3,982 |
| 1980s | 179 | 5,482 |
| 1990s | 141 | 8,061 |
| 2000s | 99 | 12,014 |
| 2010s | 131 | 11,355 |
| 2020s | 76 | 10,027 |
Where Buster is heading
Buster has fallen 29% over the past decade, from 17 babies in 2015 to 12 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1918 peak — Buster is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Buster
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Buster.