Fisher
Fisher was the 791st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 319 babies. Its best year was 2017, when it ranked 764th; the most babies were born in 2025 (319). Over the last ten years it has moved up 1 places. More babies were named Fisher in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning fisherman (surname) · English, Old English
Say it FISH-er /ˈfɪʃɚ/
- Rank in 2025
- #791 boys, up 117 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 319boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025319 babies
- Total since 1880
- 6,646babies recorded
What does the name Fisher mean?
Fisher is an English occupational surname for a fisherman, from the word fisher, Old English fiscere, as Wiktionary notes; German Fischer and Danish Fisker are its doublets. As a first name it is a surname transfer, recorded in the US since the 1880s and used more in recent years, partly as a word name evoking the outdoors.
fiscere (Old English, “fisherman”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Fischer.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Fisher', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'fisher' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Fisher popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 65 since 2007.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #791 | 319 |
| 2020 | #908 | 246 |
| 2010 | #836 | 255 |
| 2000 | #1,451 | 85 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | #3,628 | 5 |
| 1930 | #3,399 | 7 |
| 1920 | #3,047 | 9 |
| 1910 | #1,351 | 7 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Fisher, counting every spelling?
Fisher is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #692 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #791 for Fisher on its own. Together these spellings went to 383 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fisher | 319 | #791 | 1,384 |
| Fischer | 64 | #2,215 | 369 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Fisher?
319 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Fisher (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Fisher 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 26 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Fisher.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Fisher?
About 6,300 people born in the US named Fisher are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 6 and 18. That makes Fisher 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.
Fisher by state
How common Fisher was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alabama (5.1×), Mississippi (5.0×), Arkansas (4.2×), Oklahoma (3.1×), Utah (2.5×). In 20 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 Fisher: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Fisher, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Fisher · Sibling names for Fisher
Questions about the name Fisher
What does Fisher mean?
Fisher means “fisherman (surname)” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Fisher?
Fisher was the 791st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 319 babies. Its best year was 2017, when it ranked 764th; the most babies were born in 2025 (319). Over the last ten years it has moved up 1 places. More babies were named Fisher in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Fisher a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Fisher in the US.
Where is Fisher most popular?
In 2021–2025, Fisher was most common in Alabama (0.81 per 1,000 boys), followed by Mississippi and Arkansas.