Gunnar
Gunnar was the 612th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 462 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 382nd; the most babies were born in 2015 (825). Over the last ten years it has moved down 224 places. More babies were named Gunnar in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Gunner) Origin uncertain · English, Old Norse
- Rank in 2025
- #612 boys, down 85 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 462boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2015825 babies
- Total since 1880
- 18,178babies recorded
What does the name Gunnar mean?
Gunnar is a spelling of Gunner, pronounced the same way, so it shares Gunner's meaning and origin.
Gunner is a modern American boy's name. Wiktionary records it as a surname from the word gunner, a soldier who operates a gun, and Dictionary.com dates that word to Middle English. In use it also overlaps with Gunnar, the Scandinavian form of an Old Norse name built on gunnr, "battle", and many families likely intend one or the other. The two sources cannot be separated for the given name.
gunner (English, “one who fires a gun”)gunnr (Old Norse, “battle (in Gunnar)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Mix of the English word and the Norse name Gunnar.
Related names: Gunnar, Gunther.
See also: English names, names that mean warrior.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Gunner', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'gunner', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Gunnar popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 22 since 2004.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #612 | 462 |
| 2020 | #527 | 542 |
| 2010 | #554 | 457 |
| 2000 | #574 | 352 |
| 1990 | #1,522 | 56 |
| 1980 | #2,474 | 20 |
| 1970 | #1,636 | 28 |
| 1960 | #1,789 | 21 |
| 1950 | #1,909 | 16 |
| 1940 | #2,748 | 8 |
| 1930 | #2,229 | 13 |
| 1920 | #2,660 | 11 |
| 1910 | #1,689 | 5 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Gunnar, counting every spelling?
Gunnar is a spelling of Gunner, a name family that ranked #329 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #612 for Gunnar on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,059 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gunner | 597 | #506 | 3,750 |
| Gunnar | 462 | #612 | 2,447 |
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 Gunnar?
462 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Gunnar (0.13 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Gunnar 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 18 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Gunnar.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Gunnar?
About 17,300 people born in the US named Gunnar are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 9 and 24. That makes Gunnar mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Gunnar by state
How common Gunnar was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in North Dakota (4.1×), West Virginia (3.2×), Washington (2.4×), Maryland (2.2×), Minnesota (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nebraska, Massachusetts, Kansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Gunnar: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Gunnar, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Gunnar
What does Gunnar mean?
The origin of Gunner is uncertain: Mix of the English word and the Norse name Gunnar.
How popular is the name Gunnar?
Gunnar was the 612th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 462 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 382nd; the most babies were born in 2015 (825). Over the last ten years it has moved down 224 places. More babies were named Gunnar in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Gunnar a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Gunnar in the US.
Where is Gunnar most popular?
In 2021–2025, Gunnar was most common in North Dakota (1.17 per 1,000 boys), followed by West Virginia and Washington.