Palmer
Palmer was the 232nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,330 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,116 places. More babies were named Palmer in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning pilgrim · English, Old French, Latin
Say it PAH-mer /ˈpɑmər/
- Rank in 2025
- #232 girls, up 116 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,330girls
- Girls and boys
- 84% girls, 16% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,330 babies
- Total since 1880
- 18,653babies recorded
What does the name Palmer mean?
Palmer is an English surname for a pilgrim who had been to the Holy Land, from Old French palmier, someone who carried a palm branch home as a sign of the journey. DMNES records the name in French and Italian sources from the 1280s, Bardsley calls it common in the 13th-century Hundred Rolls, and Harrison gives the same pilgrim meaning. It has been used as a first name in the US since the 19th century.
palmier (Old French, “palm-bearer, pilgrim”)palma (Latin, “palm”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Palmer', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Palmer', DMNES, Durham University
- Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (1901), s.v. 'Palmer', Henry Frowde (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'PALMER', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Palmer popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #232 | #995 | 1,330 | 230 |
| 2020 | #348 | #1,188 | 888 | 163 |
| 2010 | #9,116 | #1,790 | 13 | 83 |
| 2000 | #12,800 | #1,738 | 7 | 65 |
| 1990 | — | #1,695 | — | 48 |
| 1980 | — | #2,039 | — | 27 |
| 1970 | — | #1,569 | — | 30 |
| 1960 | #6,200 | #1,394 | 6 | 33 |
| 1950 | #3,014 | #1,157 | 13 | 39 |
| 1940 | — | #746 | — | 68 |
| 1930 | #5,092 | #614 | 5 | 101 |
| 1920 | #4,306 | #506 | 7 | 144 |
| 1910 | #2,703 | #578 | 5 | 25 |
| 1900 | — | #529 | — | 21 |
| 1890 | — | #659 | — | 10 |
| 1880 | — | #628 | — | 10 |
How popular is Palmer, counting every spelling?
Palmer has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #260 for girls in 2025, against #232 on the official list, because Kaylee/Kaeli/Keily and Maisie/Maisy/Mazie and Journee/Journey/Journi move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Palmer?
1,330 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Palmer (0.37 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Palmer 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 6 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Palmer.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Palmer?
About 9,200 people born in the US named Palmer are alive today, with a median age of 4; half are between 2 and 7. That makes Palmer 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.
Palmer by state
How common Palmer was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in South Dakota (4.9×), Nebraska (3.7×), North Dakota (3.6×), Kansas (2.8×), Iowa (2.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, New York, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Palmer: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Palmer, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Palmer · Sibling names for Palmer
Questions about the name Palmer
What does Palmer mean?
Palmer means “pilgrim” (English, Old French, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Palmer?
Palmer was the 232nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,330 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,116 places. More babies were named Palmer in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Palmer a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 84% girls, 16% boys given the name Palmer in the US.
Where is Palmer most popular?
In 2021–2025, Palmer was most common in South Dakota (3.50 per 1,000 girls), followed by Nebraska and North Dakota.