Buddy

Did you know?

A few things about Buddy you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Buddy

Buddy Ebsen

American actor and dancer (1908–2003)

Choose Buddy and your child shares a first name with Buddy Ebsen, an American actor and dancer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Buddy, like who?” Buddy Ebsen's Wikipedia article is available in 33 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Buddy Ebsen on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: credited as "U.S. Coast Guard photo", Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 74,074 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Buddy, 23 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Buddy would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryBuddy first shows up in US birth records in 1893, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 132 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1935, when it ranked #202. Today it's #4,396, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendBuddy has slipped 255 places over the last five years and now sits at #4,396. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Buddy means “friend”. Our records link it to American and English roots.

About the name Buddy

Buddy is a boy name of American and English origin meaning “friend”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with B and ending in “-ddy”. US birth records list Buddy for boys from 1893 to 2025, in 131 of those 133 years. Its best year was 1935, when it ranked #202 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #4,396, with 23 babies.

Origin:American namesEnglish names