Werner
Werner is a name of German origin and is common both as a given name and a surname. As is often the case with Germanic names, it is a dithematic name, meaning it is composed of two semantically unrelated word stems, in this case the Old High German waron and heri. Wernher is a variation on Werner. Cognate names in other languages include Warner (English), Guernier (French), and Verner.
Meaning & Origin of Werner
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Werner is a name of German origin and is common both as a given name and a surname. As is often the case with Germanic names, it is a dithematic name, meaning it is composed of two semantically unrelated word stems, in this case the Old High German waron and heri. Wernher is a variation on Werner. Cognate names in other languages include Warner (English), Guernier (French), and Verner.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Werner
Werner first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1889, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1930: 93 births, good for #634 nationwide. About 20% of every Werner on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Werner last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 10 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 3K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Werner
Phonetically similar names — useful when Werner 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 Werner
What does the name Werner mean?
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In which U.S. states is Werner most popular?
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About the name Werner
Werner is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1889 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Werner's peak popularity came in 1930 when it ranked #634. Use the chart and map above to compare Werner's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1930 →
- Names of the 1930s →
- Names starting with "W" →
- 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.