Bard
A masculine name of Celtic origin meaning "poet" or "singer".
Name Census estimates that about 161 living Americans carry the first name Bard. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bard today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bard births was 1970 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bard. 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
- • The typical person named Bard is about 65 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bards were born before 1971.
People living today
161
~ 1 in 2,128,909 Americans
Peak year
1970
13 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
1979 SSA rank
#6,135
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Bard: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bard from the 1920s through to the 1970s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 79 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1950s peak, Bard remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bard 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 Bard during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bards live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bard
The name Bard originates from the Celtic languages, particularly Gaelic and Brittonic. It is derived from the Proto-Celtic word "bardos," which means "poet" or "singer." The name has been in use since ancient times, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 6th century BCE.
In Celtic cultures, bards were highly respected individuals who served as poets, storytellers, and historians. They were responsible for preserving and transmitting oral traditions, genealogies, and historical accounts through their songs and recitations. Bards played a crucial role in Celtic societies, often accompanying kings and chieftains as advisors and entertainers.
The name Bard is mentioned in several ancient texts and historical records. For instance, the Roman historian Lucan, in his work "Pharsalia," referred to the bards as the "sacred singers" of the Celts. Additionally, the name appears in the Welsh mythological cycle of stories known as the "Mabinogion," which dates back to the 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Bard was Taliesin, a 6th-century Welsh bard renowned for his poetic works. He is considered one of the most influential bards in Welsh literature and is often associated with the legendary figure of Merlin.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Bard. Here are five examples:
1. Bard of Avon (1564-1616): William Shakespeare, the renowned English playwright and poet, was often referred to as the "Bard of Avon" due to his literary genius and influence on the English language.
2. Bard of Twickenham (1688-1744): Alexander Pope, an English poet and satirist, was given the nickname "Bard of Twickenham" in reference to his birthplace in Twickenham, England.
3. Bard of Rydal Mount (1770-1850): William Wordsworth, one of the founders of English Romantic poetry, was known as the "Bard of Rydal Mount," referring to his home in the Lake District of England.
4. Bard of Olney (1725-1806): William Cowper, an English poet and hymnist, was nicknamed the "Bard of Olney" after the town where he lived for many years.
5. Bard of Ayrshire (1759-1796): Robert Burns, the famous Scottish poet and lyricist, was known as the "Bard of Ayrshire" due to his birthplace in Ayrshire, Scotland.
People
Bard + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bard 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
Bard: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bard?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 161 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bard 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 2,128,909 US residents.
Is Bard a common name?
We classify Bard as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 218 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bard most popular?
The single biggest year for Bard was 1970, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bard is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bard a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bard 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.
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.