Birger
Birger is a Scandinavian name from Old Norse, bjarga, meaning "to help, to save, to protect". It is widely used in Norway as Birger but also as Børge. The Swedish variant of Birger would soon evolve into Börje, however, the prior form would remain common, and was not confused with its successor. The Icelandic form is Birgir.
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
Meaning & Origin of Birger
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Birger is a Scandinavian name from Old Norse, bjarga, meaning "to help, to save, to protect". It is widely used in Norway as Birger but also as Børge. The Swedish variant of Birger would soon evolve into Börje, however, the prior form would remain common, and was not confused with its successor. The Icelandic form is Birgir.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
The Story of Birger
The earliest SSA record of Birger as a baby boy name dates back to 1911, when 6 babies received it. 1917 was its biggest year on record, with 8 newborns named Birger — #2,956 in the national rankings. About 56% of every Birger on record arrived during the 1910s, its defining decade. Birger last appeared in the published SSA data in 1940, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 34 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Birger
Phonetically similar names — useful when Birger is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Birger
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About the name Birger
Birger is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1911 and has accumulated 34 births in the dataset. Birger's peak popularity came in 1917 when it ranked #2,956. Use the chart and map above to compare Birger's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1917 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.