Buddy
Buddy is a name with a single cultural origin: English.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Buddy
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Buddy is a name with a single cultural origin: English.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Buddy
Buddy first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1893, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1935: 604 births, good for #202 nationwide. The 1930s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 23% of all recorded Buddys. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #3,426 among baby boy names with 34 births, rising sharply (+30% over the past five years). In total, more than 23K Buddys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Buddy
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Buddy. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Buddy
Phonetically similar names — useful when Buddy is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Buddy
What does the name Buddy mean?
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How popular is Buddy in 2026?
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In which U.S. states is Buddy most popular?
Is Buddy a unisex name?
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What are nicknames or variants of Buddy?
About the name Buddy
Buddy is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1893 and has accumulated 23K births in the dataset. Buddy's peak popularity came in 1935 when it ranked #202. Use the chart and map above to compare Buddy's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1935 →
- Names of the 1930s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.