Bruce

Meaning: Possibly 'the willowlands'
Origin: Norman French — From the Norman place name Brix

Boy's name · #536 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Popularity over time

Bruce belongs to an older America first — it reached #25 back in 1952 — yet it still appears in today's records at #536. About 387,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Bruce is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 36 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Bruce ranks in other countries and regions.

#336 in Scotland (2025) · #405 in N. Ireland (2025) · #491 in Ecuador (2025) · #703 in Ireland (2025) · #859 in England & Wales (2025) · #868 in Netherlands (2025) · #989 in Belgium (2025) · #2,040 in Switzerland (2025) · #2,305 in France (2025) · #461 in Canada (2024).

Famous Bruces

Bruce Lee — Hong Kong–American martial artist and actor (1940–1973)
Bruce Willis — American actor (born 1955)
Bruce Springsteen — American rock singer (born 1949)
Bruce Dickinson — English heavy metal singer (born 1958)
Bruce Beutler — American immunologist and geneticist

In stories & tradition

Bruce (Batman) — Detective Comics (comics)
Bruce (Hulk) — Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (video game)
Bruce Banner — The Incredible Hulk (film)

What Bruces become

Among 3,306 notable people named Bruce:

Sports figures appear 1.42× more often than among typical names — e.g. Bruce Lee, Hong Kong–American martial artist and actor (1940–1973).

Similar names: Roger · Bruno · Lance · Dennis · Mike · Lawrence

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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