Buz
A diminutive of the Turkish name Burak, meaning "messenger of Allah".
Name Census estimates that about 22 living Americans carry the first name Buz. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Buz today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Buz births was 1957 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Buz. 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 Buz is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Buz' were born before 1966.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Buz. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
22
~ 1 in 15,579,743 Americans
Peak year
1957
8 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1963 SSA rank
#4,113
Tracked since 1951
Popularity
Buz: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Buz from the 1950s through to the 1960s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 19 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1950s peak, Buz remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Buz 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 Buz during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Buz
The name Buz is believed to have originated from the Persian language, with its roots dating back to ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) and the surrounding regions. It is derived from the Persian word "buz," meaning "goat" or "ram," which suggests a possible connection to pastoral or agricultural traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Buz can be found in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Book of Genesis. Buz is mentioned as one of the sons of Nahor, Abraham's brother, and is considered an ancestor of the Buzites, a nomadic tribe that inhabited regions near the Arabian Peninsula.
In ancient Mesopotamian texts, the name Buz is sometimes associated with the city of Buz, which was located in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. This city was known for its trade routes and may have played a significant role in the spread of the name throughout the region.
Throughout history, the name Buz has been documented in various cultures and civilizations, albeit with slightly different spellings or pronunciations. For example, in Arabic, the name is sometimes written as "Bāz" or "Bāzī," while in Turkish, it may appear as "Boz" or "Buz."
Some notable historical figures who bore the name Buz include:
1. Buz, a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis as the son of Nahor and an ancestor of the Buzites (circa 2000 BCE).
2. Buz ibn Abi Arradah, an Arab poet and warrior from the Umayyad Caliphate in the 7th century CE.
3. Buz Sawyer, a fictional character from the American comic strip of the same name, created by Roy Crane in 1943.
4. Buz Lukens, an American actor and comedian known for his roles in films like "Cooley High" and "Porky's II: The Next Day" (born in 1947).
5. Buz Barer, an American writer and producer best known for his work on television shows like "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "Remington Steele" (born in 1942).
While the name Buz has not been as widely popular as some other names throughout history, it has maintained a presence in various cultures and has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, reflecting its ancient roots and enduring legacy.
People
Buz + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Buz 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
Buz: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Buz?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 22 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Buz 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 15,579,743 US residents.
Is Buz a common name?
We classify Buz as "Very Rare". It ranks above 41.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 29 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Buz most popular?
The single biggest year for Buz was 1957, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Buz is about 70 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 Buz in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Buz a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Buz 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 Buz still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Buz 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 Buz 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 people share the name Buz?
Find out how many people share the name Buz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.