Buck
An English name originally a nickname for someone masculine and vigorous.
Name Census estimates that about 3,535 living Americans carry the first name Buck. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Buck today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Buck births was 1919 (102 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Buck. 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.
People living today
3.5K
~ 1 in 96,960 Americans
Peak year
1919
102 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,472
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Buck: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Buck from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 759 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Buck remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Buck 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 Buck during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bucks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 26 states and territories. Texas, California, Oklahoma recorded the most babies named Buck, while West Virginia, Wisconsin, Oregon recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 83 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Buck
The name Buck has its origins in the Old English language, derived from the word "bucca," which means a male goat or ram. This association with male animals likely contributed to its eventual use as a masculine given name. The name's earliest recorded use can be traced back to the Middle Ages in England, where it was popular among the rural population, particularly those involved in agriculture or animal husbandry.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Buck was Bucky of Bucks County, a landowner and farmer who lived in Pennsylvania during the late 17th century. His full name was Jeremiah Buck, and he was known for his contributions to the early settlement of the region.
In the 18th century, the name gained popularity among English and American families. Notable individuals from this period include Buck Whalley, an English cricketer who played for Hampshire County Cricket Club in the 1770s, and Buck Jones, an American frontiersman and explorer who was born in 1765 and played a significant role in the westward expansion of the United States.
As the centuries progressed, the name continued to be used across various cultures and regions. In the 19th century, Buck Ewing, an American baseball player and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, was born in 1859. He was renowned for his defensive skills and is considered one of the greatest catchers in the history of the sport.
Another famous individual with the name Buck was Buck Owens, an American singer-songwriter and actor who was born in 1929 and is credited with popularizing the Bakersfield sound in country music. He had numerous hit songs throughout the 1960s and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996.
In the realm of literature, Buck Mulligan is a notable character in James Joyce's renowned novel "Ulysses," published in 1922. Mulligan's irreverent and bohemian personality played a significant role in the novel's exploration of modern life and the human condition.
While the name Buck has its roots in Old English and the agricultural traditions of medieval England, it has transcended its humble beginnings and has been embraced by individuals from various backgrounds and cultures throughout history.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Buck
People
Buck + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Buck 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
Buck: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Buck?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,535 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Buck 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 96,960 US residents.
Is Buck a common name?
We classify Buck as "Rare". It ranks above 95.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,534 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Buck most popular?
The single biggest year for Buck was 1919, when 102 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Buck is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Buck a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Buck 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.