Bruce

maleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Bruce: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Bruce: Recorded since 1952, with a gap of 12 years, it reached #15 in 1955, and it stood at #676 in 2025.

6registrars recorded it
112times a registrar ranked it
74years from first to last
#15highest recorded position
22groupings it qualifies for
20names it appears alongside

What stands out in Bruce's record

Held a top-100 place for 29 years running. Names by top-100 run
Absent from every published list for 12 years inside its own recorded period, then ranked again. Names by longest absence

Region

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2024

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#472
1997	#513
1998	#477
1999	#697
2000	#691
2001	#786
2002	#869
2003	#653
2004	#625
2005	#716
2006	#885
2007	#742
2008	#684
2009	#682
2010	#635
2011	#718
2012	#754
2013	#603
2014	#624
2015	#586
2016	#501
2017	#597
2018	#541
2019	#597
2020	#656
2021	#704
2022	#714
2023	#965
2024	#898

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in 31 of the 62 years from 1964 to 2025.

In 2024: #655 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #727 among boys in Scotland, #898 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 6 national registrars across 6 regions, 1952–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #23 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1954–1980
Highest recorded position: #15 among boys in New Zealand, in 1955 (recorded 1954–1980).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #676 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys

Bruce appears in 5 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Boys, with 31 ranked years and 153 births registered; the earliest is New South Wales, Australia · Boys, from 1952.

Bruce across 5 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Bruce's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#204 (1964)	#204 (1964)	#676 (2025)	31 of 62	153 (1964–2025)	10 (2013)
England and Wales · Boys	#472 (1996)	#472 (1996)	#898 (2024)	29 of 29	1,269 (1996–2024)	81 (2016)
New Zealand · Boys	#16 (1954)	#15 (1955)	#97 (1980)	27 of 27	6,079 (1954–1980)	403 (1959)
New South Wales, Australia · Boys	#23 (1952)	#21 (1954)	#95 (1972)	21 of 21	6,248 (1952–1972)	504 (1952)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#272 (1998)	#272 (1998)	#357 (2007)	3 of 10	9 (1998–2007)	3 (1998)

Bruce by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Bruce in Republic of Ireland · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	21	5 of 10	4
1970s	26	6 of 10	4
1980s	8	2 of 10	4
2000s	13	3 of 10	4
2010sbusiest	51	9 of 10	6
2020s	34	6 of 10	6

Across Republic of Ireland · Boys, the 2010s were its busiest decade — the 9 years of it this list covers, averaging 6 births a year.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Bruce appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 6 regions, from 1952 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #15 in New Zealand in 1959.

Bruce's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2024	England and Wales	male	#898	35	High	Verified
2023	England and Wales	male	#965	31	High	Verified
2022	England and Wales	male	#714	47	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	male	#704	49	High	Verified
2020	England and Wales	male	#656	52	High	Verified
2019	England and Wales	male	#597	62	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	male	#541	71	High	Verified
2017	England and Wales	male	#597	62	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	male	#501	81	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	male	#586	63	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	male	#624	55	High	Verified
2013	England and Wales	male	#603	57	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	male	#754	43	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	male	#718	44	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	male	#635	51	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	male	#682	44	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	male	#684	43	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	male	#742	37	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	male	#885	27	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	male	#716	35	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	male	#625	39	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	male	#653	33	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	male	#869	20	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	male	#786	22	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	male	#691	26	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	male	#697	24	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	male	#477	41	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	male	#513	36	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	male	#472	39	High	Verified
1972	New South Wales, Australia	male	#95	80	Insufficient	Not yet available
1971	New South Wales, Australia	male	#85	98	Insufficient	Not yet available
1970	New South Wales, Australia	male	#75	112	Insufficient	Not yet available
1969	New South Wales, Australia	male	#58	153	Insufficient	Not yet available
1968	New South Wales, Australia	male	#53	178	Insufficient	Not yet available
1967	New South Wales, Australia	male	#50	188	Insufficient	Not yet available
1966	New South Wales, Australia	male	#45	199	Insufficient	Not yet available
1965	New South Wales, Australia	male	#36	235	Insufficient	Not yet available
1964	New South Wales, Australia	male	#35	251	Insufficient	Not yet available
1963	New South Wales, Australia	male	#36	281	Insufficient	Not yet available
1962	New South Wales, Australia	male	#32	303	Insufficient	Not yet available
1961	New South Wales, Australia	male	#29	350	Insufficient	Not yet available
1960	New South Wales, Australia	male	#32	324	Insufficient	Not yet available
1959	New South Wales, Australia	male	#27	365	Insufficient	Not yet available
1958	New South Wales, Australia	male	#25	412	Insufficient	Not yet available
1957	New South Wales, Australia	male	#24	444	Insufficient	Not yet available
1956	New South Wales, Australia	male	#24	424	Insufficient	Not yet available
1955	New South Wales, Australia	male	#27	403	Insufficient	Not yet available
1954	New South Wales, Australia	male	#21	483	Insufficient	Not yet available
1953	New South Wales, Australia	male	#25	461	Insufficient	Not yet available
1952	New South Wales, Australia	male	#23	504	Insufficient	Not yet available
1980	New Zealand	male	#97	52	High	Verified
1979	New Zealand	male	#99	55	High	Verified
1978	New Zealand	male	#94	61	High	Verified
1977	New Zealand	male	#93	63	High	Verified
1976	New Zealand	male	#92	68	High	Verified
1975	New Zealand	male	#81	80	High	Verified
1974	New Zealand	male	#66	99	High	Verified
1973	New Zealand	male	#67	108	High	Verified
1972	New Zealand	male	#55	125	High	Verified
1971	New Zealand	male	#55	135	High	Verified
1970	New Zealand	male	#47	154	High	Verified
1969	New Zealand	male	#44	176	High	Verified
1968	New Zealand	male	#41	183	High	Verified
1967	New Zealand	male	#36	189	High	Verified
1966	New Zealand	male	#31	221	High	Verified
1965	New Zealand	male	#25	295	High	Verified
1964	New Zealand	male	#24	282	High	Verified
1963	New Zealand	male	#23	322	High	Verified
1962	New Zealand	male	#20	365	High	Verified
1961	New Zealand	male	#22	353	High	Verified
1960	New Zealand	male	#21	373	High	Verified
1959	New Zealand	male	#15	403	High	Verified
1958	New Zealand	male	#19	368	High	Verified
1957	New Zealand	male	#16	391	High	Verified
1956	New Zealand	male	#16	395	High	Verified
1955	New Zealand	male	#15	383	High	Verified
1954	New Zealand	male	#16	380	High	Verified
2007	Northern Ireland	male	#357	3	High	Verified
1999	Northern Ireland	male	#277	3	High	Verified
1998	Northern Ireland	male	#272	3	High	Verified
2025	Republic of Ireland	male	#676	4	High	Verified
2024	Republic of Ireland	male	#655	4	High	Verified
2023	Republic of Ireland	male	#472	7	High	Verified
2022	Republic of Ireland	male	#454	7	High	Verified
2021	Republic of Ireland	male	#414	8	High	Verified
2020	Republic of Ireland	male	#637	4	High	Verified
2019	Republic of Ireland	male	#564	5	High	Verified
2018	Republic of Ireland	male	#635	4	High	Verified
2017	Republic of Ireland	male	#443	7	High	Verified
2016	Republic of Ireland	male	#601	4	High	Verified
2015	Republic of Ireland	male	#554	5	High	Verified
2014	Republic of Ireland	male	#508	6	High	Verified
2013	Republic of Ireland	male	#383	10	High	Verified
2012	Republic of Ireland	male	#616	4	High	Verified
2010	Republic of Ireland	male	#491	6	High	Verified
2009	Republic of Ireland	male	#472	6	High	Verified
2008	Republic of Ireland	male	#601	4	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	male	#409	3	High	Verified
1983	Republic of Ireland	male	#282	4	High	Verified
1981	Republic of Ireland	male	#292	4	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	male	#269	5	High	Verified
1975	Republic of Ireland	male	#251	6	High	Verified
1974	Republic of Ireland	male	#288	4	High	Verified
1973	Republic of Ireland	male	#320	3	High	Verified
1971	Republic of Ireland	male	#304	3	High	Verified
1970	Republic of Ireland	male	#251	5	High	Verified
1969	Republic of Ireland	male	#291	3	High	Verified
1968	Republic of Ireland	male	#222	5	High	Verified
1966	Republic of Ireland	male	#229	4	High	Verified
1965	Republic of Ireland	male	#222	4	High	Verified
1964	Republic of Ireland	male	#204	5	High	Verified
2024	Scotland	male	#727	3	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
New South Wales, Australia hub — collected by NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
New Zealand hub — collected by NZ Department of Internal Affairs
Northern Ireland hub — collected by NISRA
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland
Scotland hub — collected by National Records of Scotland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 6 registrars between 1952 and 2025, ranked in 61 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #15, first reached in 1955.

It held a top-100 place in 29 years, 29 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 504 births, registered in New South Wales, Australia in 1952.

Its record falls into 3 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 12 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1954, and 72 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Brooks · #227, 13y
Bror · #265, 63y
Bruna · #856, 23y
Bruno · #243, 47y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 6 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Brendan · #16, 62y
Jodie · #14, 61y
Katrina · #16, 63y
Declan · #12, 62y

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1950 and 1959.

Brett · #15, 68y
Gail · #15, 47y
Garry · #15, 71y
Geoffrey · #15, 73y

Comparisons involving Bruce

Existing comparison pages where Bruce and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside Bruce in the same published list across at least 25 years.

Brian vs Bruce
Across 27 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, Brian and Bruce averaged 5.7 places apart, ending at #91 and #97.
Brian · Bruce · 27 shared years, 1954–1980 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1980 New Zealand ranking
Alan vs Bruce
Across 27 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, Alan and Bruce averaged 6.0 places apart, ending at #96 and #97.
Alan · Bruce · 27 shared years, 1954–1980 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1980 New Zealand ranking
Ian vs Bruce
Across 27 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, Ian and Bruce averaged 8.9 places apart, ending at #71 and #97.
Ian · Bruce · 27 shared years, 1954–1980 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1980 New Zealand ranking

Closest long-running positions

Names that stayed close to Bruce within one registrar's list over many years. A gap measured inside that list, never across registrars.

Bruce vs Graham
Across 21 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Bruce and Graham averaged 6.0 places apart, ending at #95 and #65.
Bruce · Graham · 21 shared years, 1952–1972 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1972 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Gary vs Bruce
Across 24 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, Gary and Bruce averaged 6.2 places apart, ending at #89 and #97.
Gary · Bruce · 24 shared years, 1954–1980 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1980 New Zealand ranking
Bruce vs Garry
Across 21 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Bruce and Garry averaged 6.2 places apart, ending at #95 and #83.
Bruce · Garry · 21 shared years, 1952–1972 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1972 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Order changes

Pairs where Bruce and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

Bruce vs Justin
In New Zealand · Boys, Justin moved into the top 50 at #34 in 1971 as Bruce fell out of it to #55, having been #47 the year before.
Bruce · Justin · 13 shared years, 1968–1980 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 1971 New Zealand ranking

Compared inside New Zealand lists

Pairs involving Bruce measured in New Zealand's own published lists — the registrar that recorded Bruce at its highest position.

Bruce vs Murray
Across 20 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, Bruce and Murray averaged 8.0 places apart, ending at #67 and #100.
Bruce · Murray · 20 shared years, 1954–1973 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1973 New Zealand ranking
Bruce vs Graeme
Across 21 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, Bruce and Graeme averaged 9.5 places apart, ending at #81 and #86.
Bruce · Graeme · 21 shared years, 1954–1975 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1975 New Zealand ranking
Geoffrey vs Bruce
Across 26 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, Geoffrey and Bruce averaged 12.0 places apart, ending at #95 and #99.
Geoffrey · Bruce · 26 shared years, 1954–1979 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1979 New Zealand ranking

New Zealand overview→

Bruce was ranked #15 in New Zealand · Boys in 1955. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Bruce and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Bruce without appearing here.

Bruce moved ahead of

Glenn Compare
In 2002 they stood at #869 and #633 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2003 that had become #653 and #1132.
Geoffrey Compare
In 2012 they stood at #616 and #616 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2013 that had become #383 and #711.
Derek Compare
In 1996 they stood at #472 and #464 in England and Wales · Boys; by 1997 that had become #513 and #809.
Gary Compare
In 2009 they stood at #682 and #576 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2010 that had become #635 and #897.

Moved ahead of Bruce

Jake Compare
In 2000 they stood at #282 and #330 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2001 that had become #409 and #34.
Theodore Compare
In 2011 they stood at #491 and #720 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2012 that had become #616 and #310.
Arlo Compare
In 2005 they stood at #716 and #766 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2006 that had become #885 and #582.
Roman Compare
In 1999 they stood at #697 and #809 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2000 that had become #691 and #401.

Moved the opposite way to Bruce

Alexander Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Bruce went from #204 to #676 while Alexander went from #116 to #55.
Conor Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Bruce went from #204 to #676 while Conor went from #56 to #16.
Liam Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Bruce went from #204 to #676 while Liam went from #54 to #7.
Luke Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Bruce went from #204 to #676 while Luke went from #105 to #23.

Moved the same way as Bruce

Adrian Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Bruce went from #204 to #676 and Adrian from #65 to #348.
Alfred Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Bruce went from #204 to #676 and Alfred from #134 to #286.
Denis Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Bruce went from #204 to #676 and Denis from #21 to #232.
Francis Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Bruce went from #204 to #676 and Francis from #16 to #309.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 6 regions, from 1952 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #15 in New Zealand in 1959. Source data last verified 2026-07-21.

Bruce

Bruce at a glance

What stands out in Bruce's record

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Bruce across 5 official records

Bruce by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Bruce appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Comparisons involving Bruce

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Compared inside New Zealand lists

Names published alongside Bruce

Bruce and the names beside it

Bruce moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Bruce

Moved the opposite way to Bruce

Moved the same way as Bruce

Bruce at a glance

What stands out in Bruce's record

Bruce across 5 official records

Bruce by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Bruce appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Comparisons involving Bruce

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Compared inside New Zealand lists

Names published alongside Bruce

Bruce and the names beside it

Bruce moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Bruce

Moved the opposite way to Bruce

Moved the same way as Bruce