Given name & surname · also Scottish Gaelic
Bud
“one who is brotherly”
Bud is used as a given name, a surname, and a nickname. One English interpretation is “one who is brotherly.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who is brotherly.”
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Scottish Gaelic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
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
Bud through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9,502
- 9,502 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1928
- 215 babies
- 2025
- 12
- #6,870 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +38%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 12 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,870 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 215 in 1928. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,458 as a first name in 2020; 212 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.
Bud’s family of names
Bud has a related form in Buddy. Bud has a related form in Budd. Bud has a related form in Buddie.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Bud
- Bud PowellAmerican jazz pianist and composer (1924–1966)
- Bud JamisonActor (1894-1944)
- Bud YorkinAmerican producer, director, and screenwriter (1926–2015)
- Bud CollinsUS sports journalist and tennis player (1929–2016)
- Bud ShankAmerican jazz saxophonist and flautist (1926–2009)
- Bud CollyerAmerican actor (1908–1969)
- Bud GreenspanAmerican film director, writer, and producer (1926–2010)
- Bud TingelstadAmerican racing driver (1928-1981)
- Bud OsborneAmerican actor (1884–1964)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Bud, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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