Baler
A Spanish name meaning a large bale of compressed material.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Baler. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Baler today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Baler births was 2014 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Baler. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Baler. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2014
6 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2014 SSA rank
#10,862
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Baler: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Baler by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Baler during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Baler
The given name Baler is believed to have originated from the Visayan language spoken in the central Philippines. It likely emerged during the 16th century when Spanish colonizers first encountered the indigenous people of the region. The name may be derived from the Visayan word "baler" which means "to roll up" or "to coil," possibly referring to a profession or activity related to rope-making or fishing.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Baler can be found in the Spanish colonial records from the late 16th century. These documents often listed the names of local villagers and their occupations, suggesting that Baler was a common name among the fishing communities of the central Philippine islands.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Baler was mentioned in the chronicles of the Jesuit missionary Pedro Chirino. According to Chirino's accounts, Baler was a respected leader of a coastal village who facilitated the conversion of his people to Christianity.
During the 19th century, a Filipino revolutionary named Baler Buenaventura (1825-1897) gained prominence for his role in the uprising against Spanish colonial rule. He was a prominent figure in the Katipunan movement and is remembered for his bravery and unwavering commitment to Filipino independence.
Another historically significant individual with the name Baler was the Spanish naval officer Isidro de Castro y Baler (1836-1898). He is best known for leading the Siege of Baler, a famous military standoff in which a small group of Spanish soldiers held their ground against Filipino revolutionary forces for nearly a year.
In more recent times, Baler has been the name of several notable Filipino artists and writers. Baler Gumayan (1921-2003) was a celebrated painter and sculptor whose works explored themes of Philippine culture and mythology. Baler Castañeda (1947-2022) was a renowned poet and literary critic who made significant contributions to the development of contemporary Filipino literature.
While the name Baler may have originated from a specific region and language in the Philippines, its historical significance and cultural resonance have transcended geographical boundaries, making it a unique and enduring name with a rich tapestry of stories and narratives.
People
Baler + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Baler as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Baler: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Baler?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Baler going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Baler a common name?
We classify Baler as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Baler most popular?
The single biggest year for Baler was 2014, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Baler is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Baler in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Baler a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Baler in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Baler still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Baler in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Baler can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Baler?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.