Holding steady.
Popularity of Budd since 1880
Babies named Budd per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1923, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Budd's real moment was 1885.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 34 |
| 1890s | 11 |
| 1900s | 6 |
| 1910s | 162 |
| 1920s | 226 |
| 1930s | 157 |
| 1940s | 142 |
| 1950s | 143 |
| 1960s | 107 |
| 1970s | 50 |
| 1980s | 46 |
| 1990s | 6 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Budd is a name that saw its peak usage in the late 19th century, with its highest rank of 972 in 1885. It first appeared in U.S. Social Security records in 1880, and by the 1890s it had already begun to fade. The name is a short form of Buddy, which entered American English as a slang term for friend. Though it never achieved widespread popularity, it carried a warm, informal tone typical of the era. Today, Budd is essentially unused as a first name, ranking outside the top 1000 for over a century. Its trajectory has been stable but negligible; no revival has occurred. The name is most often associated with the surname Budd, which has historical roots in English occupational names.
Budd originated as a diminutive of the English word 'buddy', which itself comes from the 19th-century American slang term 'buddy' for a close friend. It was also used as a given name in the 19th and early 20th centuries, possibly influenced by the surname Budd (from Old English 'būda' meaning 'beetle' or 'messenger'). The name saw modest use in the United States during the 1880s and 1890s.
Nicknames & variants
Variants: Bud
Sibling names for Budd
Names that share Budd's style, for a brother or sister.
