Given name & surname
Buck
“resembling a male deer”
Buck is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “resembling a male deer.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “resembling a male deer.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Buck through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,610
- 6,610 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1919
- 102 babies
- 2025
- 76
- #1,993 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +39%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 76 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,993 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 39.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 102 in 1919. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,308 as a first name in 2020; 41,103 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Buck’s family of names
In English usage, Buck has a nickname in Bucky. In English usage, Buck shares a linguistic root with the Ancient Greek form Βύζας. Buck has a related form in Buc.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 20
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Buck
- Buck JonesAmerican actor (1891-1942)1890–1942
- Buck ClarkeAmerican jazz percussionist (1933–1988)
- Buck BakerAmerican racecar driver (1919-2002)
- Buck KartalianAmerican actor (1922–2016)
- Buck TaylorAmerican television actor and artistborn 1938
- Buck Connorsactor (1880-1947)
- Buck Buchananplayer of American football (1940-1992)1939–1992
- Buck YoungAmerican actor (1920-2000)
- Buck MartinezAmerican baseball playerborn 1948
Characters named Buck: Buck Rogers (science fiction hero).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Buck, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Wilmer
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>99% boys