Tanner
Tanner was the 475th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 641 babies. Its best year was 1997, when it ranked 82nd; the most babies were born in 1998 (4,704). Over the last ten years it has moved down 251 places. More babies were named Tanner in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning tanner (leather worker) · English, Old English
Say it TAN-er /ˈtænər/
- Rank in 2025
- #475 boys, down 142 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 641boys
- Girls and boys
- 6% girls, 94% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19984,704 babies
- Total since 1880
- 100,166babies recorded
What does the name Tanner mean?
Tanner is an English occupational surname for someone who tanned animal hides into leather, from Old English tannere. Bardsley explains it as "the tanner", one who tanned leather with oak bark, and gives medieval examples. Dictionary.com traces the word back before the year 1000. As a boy's first name it is a modern American transfer from the surname.
tannere (Old English, “tanner”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Taner, Tan.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Tanner', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (1901), s.v. 'Tanner', Henry Frowde (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'tanner', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Tanner popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,570 | #475 | 43 | 641 |
| 2020 | #3,492 | #333 | 44 | 980 |
| 2010 | #3,118 | #176 | 54 | 2,136 |
| 2000 | #1,728 | #93 | 102 | 4,235 |
| 1990 | #9,171 | #220 | 9 | 1,387 |
| 1980 | #8,987 | #477 | 7 | 311 |
| 1970 | — | #2,390 | — | 16 |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | #2,998 | — | 8 |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | #3,559 | — | 7 |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Tanner, counting every spelling?
Tanner is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #477 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #475 for Tanner on its own. Together these spellings went to 641 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanner | 641 | #475 | 3,765 |
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 Tanner?
641 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tanner (0.18 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Tanner 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 13 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tanner.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tanner?
About 95,200 people born in the US named Tanner are alive today, with a median age of 25; half are between 17 and 31. That makes Tanner 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.
Tanner by state
How common Tanner was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maine (3.7×), New Hampshire (3.3×), West Virginia (2.5×), Idaho (2.4×), Utah (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Mexico, California, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Tanner: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tanner, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Tanner · Sibling names for Tanner
Questions about the name Tanner
What does Tanner mean?
Tanner means “tanner (leather worker)” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Tanner?
Tanner was the 475th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 641 babies. Its best year was 1997, when it ranked 82nd; the most babies were born in 1998 (4,704). Over the last ten years it has moved down 251 places. More babies were named Tanner in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Tanner a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 6% girls, 94% boys given the name Tanner in the US.
Where is Tanner most popular?
In 2021–2025, Tanner was most common in Maine (1.60 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Hampshire and West Virginia.