Buss
A masculine Scandinavian name derived from the Old Norse word "búss" meaning "dwelling".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Buss. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Buss today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Buss births was 1918 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Buss. 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 Buss. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1918
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1918 SSA rank
#4,261
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Buss: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Buss 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 Buss during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Buss
The name Buss is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "bus" or "butz," which means "stump" or "thick and short." It likely originated as a nickname for a person with a stocky or robust build.
In the Middle Ages, the name Buss appeared in various Germanic regions, particularly in areas now part of modern-day Germany and Switzerland. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 13th century, when it was found in various medieval records and documents.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Buss was Hans Buss, a German scholar and humanist who lived in the 15th century (c. 1430-1505). He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time and contributed to the spread of Renaissance ideas across Europe.
Another notable figure was Johann Buss, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 16th century (c. 1520-1592). He was known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings, many of which depicted religious and allegorical scenes.
In the 17th century, Andreas Buss (1630-1701) was a German composer and organist who contributed to the development of baroque music. He composed several works for organ and was renowned for his innovative techniques and harmonies.
Moving into the 18th century, Johann Buss (1745-1816) was a German physicist and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the field of optics and is best known for his work on the diffraction of light.
In the 19th century, Karl Buss (1857-1918) was a German philosopher and educator. He was a proponent of idealism and wrote extensively on the philosophy of education, advocating for a more holistic and humanistic approach to teaching.
While the name Buss has its roots in the Germanic regions, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, though with varying degrees of popularity. Throughout history, the name has been associated with individuals from diverse fields, including academia, arts, and sciences, reflecting its enduring presence across cultures and time periods.
People
Buss + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Buss 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
Buss: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Buss?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Buss 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 - US residents.
Is Buss a common name?
We classify Buss as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Buss most popular?
The single biggest year for Buss was 1918, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Buss is about 0 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 Buss in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Buss a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Buss 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 Buss still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Buss 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 Buss 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 many Americans are named Buss?
See how many Americans are named Buss on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.