Hunter
Hunter was the 130th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,761 babies. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked 35th with 12,538 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 89 places. More babies were named Hunter in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning hunter (surname) · English
Say it HUN-ter /ˈhʌntər/
- Rank in 2025
- #130 boys, down 62 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,761boys
- Girls and boys
- 9% girls, 91% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 200012,538 babies
- Total since 1880
- 276,622babies recorded
What does the name Hunter mean?
Hunter is an English and Scottish occupational surname for a huntsman, someone who hunted game for a lord's household or for a living. The word comes from Old English huntian, 'to hunt'. As a first name it is a transferred surname, used mostly for boys, and Wikipedia describes it as unisex. Wiktionary records Hunter as both an English and a Scottish surname and derives it directly from the word hunter.
hunta (Old English, “hunter”)huntian (Old English, “to hunt”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Hunt.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Hunter', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'hunter', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Hunter (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Hunter popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #842 | #130 | 323 | 2,761 |
| 2020 | #832 | #68 | 329 | 4,786 |
| 2010 | #1,321 | #58 | 178 | 7,334 |
| 2000 | #402 | #35 | 714 | 12,538 |
| 1990 | #3,039 | #219 | 37 | 1,391 |
| 1980 | #6,985 | #548 | 9 | 242 |
| 1970 | — | #777 | — | 113 |
| 1960 | — | #901 | — | 71 |
| 1950 | — | #994 | — | 49 |
| 1940 | — | #1,100 | — | 36 |
| 1930 | — | #1,099 | — | 40 |
| 1920 | — | #808 | — | 69 |
| 1910 | — | #768 | — | 16 |
| 1900 | — | #761 | — | 12 |
| 1890 | — | #782 | — | 8 |
| 1880 | — | #545 | — | 12 |
How popular is Hunter, counting every spelling?
Hunter has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #137 for boys in 2025, against #130 on the official list, because Kayden/Kaiden/Caden and Elliot/Elliott/Eliot and Kayson/Kaison/Kaysen move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Hunter?
2,761 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Hunter (0.77 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Hunter 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 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Hunter.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Hunter?
About 255,400 people born in the US named Hunter are alive today, with a median age of 21; half are between 12 and 27. That makes Hunter 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.
Hunter by state
How common Hunter was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (3.5×), Alaska (3.1×), Rhode Island (2.7×), West Virginia (2.5×), Hawaii (2.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in District of Columbia, Texas, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Hunter: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Hunter, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Hunter · Sibling names for Hunter
Questions about the name Hunter
What does Hunter mean?
Hunter means “hunter (surname)” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Hunter?
Hunter was the 130th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,761 babies. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked 35th with 12,538 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 89 places. More babies were named Hunter in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Hunter a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 9% girls, 91% boys given the name Hunter in the US.
Where is Hunter most popular?
In 2021–2025, Hunter was most common in Wyoming (6.74 per 1,000 boys), followed by Alaska and Rhode Island.