Bear

Peak · boys
2022 · 332 births
Debut · boys
6 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
3,356
since 1975

Bear over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Bear has never cracked the top 700 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank197019801990200020102020peak #760, 2022boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yearboys
rankbirths
2025#853286
2024#826302
2023#820299
2022#760332
2021#827288
2020#899250
2019#897244
2018#998207
2017#1,020198
2016#1,055187
2015#1,317134
2014#1,329131
2013#1,70986
2012#1,84979
2011#1,73085
2010#2,35454
2009#2,34855
2008#2,58348
2007#4,12724
2006#8,7328
2005#7,09610
2004—
2003#8,6437
2002#9,3926
2001#7,5368
2000#9,1126
1999—
1998—
1997#8,1106
1996—
1995—
1994#8,8005
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1981#6,2625
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1975#4,7976
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First appearance
1975

The first year at least five boys were named Bear! It came in at #4,797, and was given to 6 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1976–1996, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

Where Bear is popular in 2025

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNHWashington: #502 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 2,343 boysWAIdaho: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNDMinnesota: #640 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 3,500 boysMNIllinois: #632 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 3,539 boysILWisconsin: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedWIMichigan: #1,113 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 8,039 boysMINew York: #1,202 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 9,380 boysNYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedRIOregon: #438 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 1,882 boysORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedSDIowa: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedIAIndiana: #621 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 3,166 boysINOhio: #940 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 6,567 boysOHPennsylvania: #1,094 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 8,710 boysPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #862 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 6,499 boysCAUtah: #378 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 1,639 boysUTColorado: #468 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 2,238 boysCONebraska: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNEMissouri: #518 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 2,528 boysMOKentucky: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedWVVirginia: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedVAMaryland: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedDEArizona: #781 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 4,675 boysAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNMKansas: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedKSArkansas: #555 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 2,517 boysARTennessee: #719 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 4,085 boysTNNorth Carolina: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedNCSouth Carolina: #668 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 3,533 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #504 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 2,210 boysOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedLAMississippi: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedMSAlabama: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedALGeorgia: #1,350 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 10,044 boysGAHawaii: fewer than 5 boys named Bear, so not publishedHITexas: #953 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 7,002 boysTXFlorida: #1,056 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 7,961 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Utah#378 · 1 in 1,639
  2. Oregon#438 · 1 in 1,882
  3. Colorado#468 · 1 in 2,238
  4. Washington#502 · 1 in 2,343
  5. Oklahoma#504 · 1 in 2,210

Best ever in a state: #302 in Idaho, 2018.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Utah#378121 in 1,639
Oregon#43881 in 1,882
Colorado#468121 in 2,238
Washington#502141 in 2,343
Oklahoma#50481 in 2,210
Missouri#518111 in 2,528
Arkansas#55551 in 2,517
Indiana#621101 in 3,166
Illinois#632141 in 3,539
Minnesota#64071 in 3,500
South Carolina#66861 in 3,533
Tennessee#71991 in 4,085
Arizona#78171 in 4,675
California#862271 in 6,499
Ohio#94081 in 6,567
Texas#953251 in 7,002
Florida#1,056121 in 7,961
Pennsylvania#1,09461 in 8,710
Michigan#1,11351 in 8,039
New York#1,20291 in 9,380
Georgia#1,35051 in 10,044
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Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See every state's top names →

See more about Bear
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 27 spots since 2024 (#826 → #853)
  • 46 spots since 2020 (#899 → #853)
  • Biggest jump: 101 spots in 2019
  • Biggest drop: 60 spots in 2023
Rise & fade · boys
47 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1975
  • Peaked 2022 at #760 (332 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 8 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 8 yrs · run 2018–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 5,259
  • Highest: 1 in 5,259 boys born in 2022 were named Bear (0.02%)
  • Latest: 1 in 5,972 boys born in 2025 (0.02%)
Era · boys
The 2020s
  • 52.4% of all boys named Bear (1,757) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1970s6#4,797 (1975)#4,797
1980s5#6,262 (1981)#6,262
1990s11#8,110 (1997)#8,455
2000s172#2,348 (2009)#6,619
2010s1,405#897 (2019)#1,426
2020s1,757#760 (2022)#831

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Want to check a specific year?

See where Bear ranked and which names it was up against. Click a point on the chart, or pick a year: