Bruce is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Bruce means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Bruce across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Bruce has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Bruce is a boy name of Norman French origin meaning “of uncertain meaning, from a place name”. originally a Scottish surname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 388,275 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,257 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 1,724 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 9 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 153 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 6,079 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Bruce per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1956 (14,693/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1975 (118/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2016 (81/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2013 (10/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1998 (3/yr).
Bruce has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1956, when it ranked #54 nationally (given to 14,693 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1950s.
Bryce · Brice · Pryce · Price · Bracy · Breeze
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