ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 2004 First Year 2019 Last Year 2004 Peak Year #14177 Peak Rank 22 Total Count 4 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Gunnar What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Gunnar is a male first name of Nordic origin. Gunder is a variant,. Notable people with the name Gunnar include:Gunnar Andersen (1890–1968), Norwegian footballer and ski jumper Gunnar Andersen (cyclist) (1911–1981), Danish cyclist Gunnar Andersen (1909–1988), Norwegian ski jumper Gunnar Aagaard Andersen (1919–1982), Danish sculptor, painter and designer Gunnar Andersson (aviator) (1923–1974),… Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnar) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnar) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Swedish * Norwegian * Danish * Icelandic * Norse Mythology 📖 ## The Story of Gunnar The earliest SSA record of Gunnar as a baby boy name dates back to 1893, when 5 babies received it. 2015 was its biggest year on record, with 825 newborns named Gunnar — #387 in the national rankings. About 36% of every Gunnar on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Gunnar ranks #631 for baby boys with 450 births, falling sharply (-22%). All told, over 19K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Gunnar Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Gunnar. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Gunder](/gunder) * [Gunnarr](/gunnarr) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Gunnar Phonetically similar names — useful when Gunnar is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Gunner](/gunner) * Goner * Gainer * [Gaynor](/gaynor) * Gooner * Gummer * Ganar * Gayner * Gainor * Goehner * Cunner * [Koner](/koner) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Gunnar What does the name Gunnar mean? Gunnar is a male first name of Nordic origin. Gunder is a variant,. Notable people with the name Gunnar include:Gunnar Andersen (1890–1968), Norwegian footballer and ski jumper Gunnar Andersen (cyclist) (1911–1981), Danish cyclist Gunnar Andersen (1909–1988), Norwegian ski jumper Gunnar Aagaard Andersen (1919–1982), Danish sculptor, painter and designer Gunnar Andersson (aviator) (1923–1974),… What is the origin of the name Gunnar? Gunnar has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Norse Mythology. How popular is Gunnar in 2026? In 2026, Gunnar ranks #631 among boys' names in the U.S., with 450 babies given the name that year. When was Gunnar most popular? Gunnar reached its peak popularity in 2015, ranking #382 that year with 825 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Gunnar most popular? Gunnar has historically been most popular in Wyoming, North Dakota, Alaska. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Gunnar. Is Gunnar a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Gunnar is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Gunnar? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Gunnar include Tadeo, Orin, Addison. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Gunnar? Common variants and related forms of Gunnar include Gunder, Gunnarr. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧MadridPeak #14177](/madrid)[👧GracyePeak #14177](/gracye)[👧FranciskaPeak #14177](/franciska)[👧KananPeak #14177](/kanan)[👧MaryemmaPeak #14177](/maryemma)[👧JalesePeak #14177](/jalese)[👧AriusPeak #14177](/arius)[👧AkaraPeak #14177](/akara) ## About the name Gunnar Gunnar is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1893 and has accumulated 19K births in the dataset. Gunnar's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #382\. Use the chart and map above to compare Gunnar's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2015 → ](/year/2015) * [ Names of the 2010s → ](/decade/2010s) * [ Names starting with "G" → ](/letter/g) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.