Bjorn
Bjorn was the 829th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 298 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 766th; the most babies were born in 2024 (331). Over the last ten years it has moved up 773 places. More babies were named Bjorn in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning bear · Old Norse, Swedish
Say it BYORN /bjɔɹn/
- Rank in 2025
- #829 boys, down 52 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 298boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024331 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,255babies recorded
What does the name Bjorn mean?
Bjorn is the English spelling of Scandinavian Björn (Swedish, Icelandic) or Bjørn (Danish, Norwegian), from Old Norse Bjǫrn, the ordinary word for 'bear'. DMNES traces it to Proto-Germanic *bernuz and notes it was the name of several legendary and historical kings of Sweden and a 10th-century king of Norway. The related Old English beorn 'warrior, nobleman' comes from the same word. Tennis player Björn Borg made the name widely known.
bjǫrn (Old Norse, “bear”)*bernuz (Proto-Germanic, “bear”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Pronunciation: Many Americans also say bee-YORN.
Related names: Björn, Bjørn, Bjarne, Bernard.
See also: Scandinavian names, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Bjorn', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bjorn', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Bjorn popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #829 | 298 |
| 2020 | #777 | 302 |
| 2010 | #2,378 | 53 |
| 2000 | #1,896 | 55 |
| 1990 | #2,015 | 37 |
| 1980 | #958 | 88 |
| 1970 | #1,620 | 28 |
| 1960 | #2,891 | 9 |
| 1950 | #3,741 | 5 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Bjorn, counting every spelling?
Bjorn has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #809 for boys in 2025, against #829 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Bjorn?
298 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bjorn (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Bjorn born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bjorn.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bjorn?
About 5,100 people born in the US named Bjorn are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 5 and 31. That makes Bjorn a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Bjorn by state
How common Bjorn was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Minnesota (4.5×), Oregon (3.3×), Washington (2.9×), Utah (2.9×), Colorado (2.8×). In 18 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bjorn: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bjorn, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Bjorn · Sibling names for Bjorn
Questions about the name Bjorn
What does Bjorn mean?
Bjorn means “bear” (Old Norse, Swedish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Bjorn?
Bjorn was the 829th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 298 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 766th; the most babies were born in 2024 (331). Over the last ten years it has moved up 773 places. More babies were named Bjorn in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Bjorn a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Bjorn in the US.
Where is Bjorn most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bjorn was most common in Alaska (1.18 per 1,000 boys), followed by Minnesota and North Dakota.