boys' name ★ peaked 2015

Gunnar

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #612 Trend ↓ Falling 16%
Rank 2025
#612
among boys · ↓14 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
462
named Gunnar · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,697
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2015
830 babies
All-time total
18,178
#873 all-time among boys
First recorded
1893
in Social Security records

Gunnar popularity over time

18,178 babies have been named Gunnar since 1893, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – 5 5 1 – #1,102
1900s – 12 12 1 +140% #1,203
1910s – 159 159 16 +1225% #1,127
1920s – 138 138 14 -13% #1,603
1930s – 109 109 11 -21% #1,404
1940s – 102 102 10 -6% #2,074
1950s – 182 182 18 +78% #1,382
1960s – 217 217 22 +19% #1,527
1970s – 234 234 23 +8% #1,360
1980s – 294 294 29 +26% #1,484
1990s – 2,766 2,766 277 +841% #511
2000s 6 4,268 4,274 427 +55% #507
2010s 16 6,681 6,697 670 +57% #382
2020s (to 2025) – 2,989 2,989 498 -26% #527

Where Gunnar is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 449 0.26 outside top 500
2027 438 0.26 outside top 500
2028 429 0.25 outside top 500
2029 421 0.25 outside top 500
2030 415 0.24 outside top 500

Where Gunnar is most popular

Boys named Gunnar per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.283 per 1,000. Strongest in North Dakota, West Virginia, and Washington.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Gunnar born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
North Dakota 20 1.17 +314%
West Virginia 30 0.919 +224%
Washington 111 0.678 +139%
New Hampshire 15 0.676 +138%
Maryland 73 0.612 +116%
Minnesota 67 0.546 +93%
Nevada 31 0.544 +92%
Iowa 35 0.508 +79%
Missouri 69 0.498 +76%
Oregon 34 0.448 +58%
Kentucky 44 0.438 +55%
Tennessee 77 0.427 +51%
Colorado 55 0.426 +50%
Indiana 68 0.424 +50%
Alabama 44 0.402 +42%
Montana 7 0.397 +40%
Oklahoma 35 0.396 +40%
Idaho 16 0.391 +38%
North Carolina 97 0.380 +34%
Michigan 77 0.376 +33%
South Carolina 38 0.368 +30%
Ohio 96 0.362 +28%
Virginia 67 0.353 +25%
Arizona 57 0.348 +23%
Illinois 87 0.340 +20%
Delaware 5 0.330 +16%
Pennsylvania 76 0.286 ≈ national
Florida 135 0.285 ≈ national
Mississippi 16 0.282 ≈ national
Wisconsin 33 0.279 ≈ national
Georgia 61 0.241 -15%
New York 100 0.231 -18%
Texas 184 0.209 -26%
New Jersey 42 0.209 -26%
Utah 19 0.199 -30%
Arkansas 12 0.190 -33%
California 164 0.179 -37%
Connecticut 12 0.177 -37%
Louisiana 18 0.176 -38%
Kansas 11 0.160 -43%
Massachusetts 22 0.160 -44%
Nebraska 6 0.138 -51%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Gunnar

Gunnar is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #612 in 2025 with 462 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1893, 18,178 American babies have been named Gunnar. Its peak came in 2015, when 830 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Gunnar stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Gunnar?

The median living Gunnar is about 14 years old; half are between 8 and 23. An estimated 17 thousand people named Gunnar are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Gunnar year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 462 #612
2024 – – 476 #598
2023 – – 478 #593
2022 – – 486 #589
2021 – – 545 #541
2020 – – 542 #527
2019 5 #16,396 576 #497
2018 – – 621 #469
2017 – – 707 #439
2016 6 #14,987 798 #400
2015 5 #17,401 825 #388
2014 – – 816 #382
2013 – – 758 #397
2012 – – 603 #450
2011 – – 520 #501
2010 – – 457 #554
2009 – – 480 #550
2008 – – 488 #540
2007 – – 464 #553
2006 – – 512 #507
2005 – – 450 #539
2004 6 #14,798 394 #574
2003 – – 373 #587
2002 – – 398 #559
2001 – – 357 #577
2000 – – 352 #574
1995 – – 317 #574
1990 – – 56 #1,522
1985 – – 23 #2,321
1980 – – 20 #2,474
1975 – – 27 #1,807
1970 – – 28 #1,636
1965 – – 18 #1,885
1960 – – 21 #1,789
1955 – – 17 #1,929
1950 – – 16 #1,909
1945 – – 9 #2,467
1940 – – 8 #2,748
1935 – – 9 #2,609
1930 – – 13 #2,229
1925 – – 23 #1,603
1920 – – 11 #2,660
1915 – – 23 #1,432
1910 – – 5 #1,689
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Gunnar

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Gunnar Hansen Gunnar Hansen American actor and author 1947–2015 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Gunnar Sønsteby Gunnar Sønsteby Norwegian resistance fighter (1918–2012) Contemporary
  3. 3 Gunnar Nordahl Gunnar Nordahl Swedish footballer (1925–1995) 1921–1995 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Gunnar Myrdal Gunnar Myrdal Swedish economist, sociologist, and Nobel Laureate (1898–1987) 19th century
  5. 5 Gunnar Björnstrand Gunnar Björnstrand Swedish actor (1909–1986) Contemporary
  6. 6 Gunnar Nilsson Gunnar Nilsson Swedish racing driver (1948–1978) Contemporary
  7. 7 Gunnar Gren Gunnar Gren Swedish footballer (1920–1991) Contemporary
  8. 8 Gunnar Halle Gunnar Halle Norwegian footballer and manager (born 1965) Contemporary
  9. 9 Gunnar Gunnarsson Gunnar Gunnarsson Icelandic author (1889–1975) 19th century
  10. 10 Gunnar Asplund Gunnar Asplund Swedish architect (1885–1940) 19th century
  11. 11 Gunnar Birkerts Gunnar Birkerts American architect 1925–2017 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Gunnar Nordström Gunnar Nordström Finnish physicist (1881–1923) 19th century
  13. 13 Gunnar Andersson Gunnar Andersson Swedish footballer (1928-1969) Contemporary
  14. 14 Gunnar Staalesen Gunnar Staalesen Norwegian writer (born 1947) Contemporary
  15. 15 Gunnar Knudsen Gunnar Knudsen Norwegian politician (1848–1928) 19th century
  16. 16 Gunnar Ekelöf Gunnar Ekelöf Swedish poet and writer (1907–1968) Contemporary
  17. 17 Gunnar Heiðar Þorvaldsson Gunnar Heiðar Þorvaldsson Icelandic footballer b. 1982 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Gunnar Höckert Gunnar Höckert Finnish runner (1910–1940) Contemporary
  19. 19 Gunnar Thoroddsen Icelandic politician (1910–1983) Contemporary
  20. 20 Gunnar Larsson Gunnar Larsson Swedish swimmer (born 1951) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Gunnar, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Gunnar?

The median living Gunnar is about 14 years old. Half of all living Gunnars are between 8 and 23 years old.

How many people named Gunnar are alive today?

An estimated 17 thousand people named Gunnar are alive in the United States, based on 18,178 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Gunnar in 2025?

Gunnar ranked #612 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 462 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Gunnar?

18,178 babies have been named Gunnar in the United States since 1893, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Gunnar most popular?

Gunnar peaked in 2015, when 830 newborns received the name.

Is Gunnar a boy or girl name?

Gunnar is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Gunnar rising or falling?

Gunnar is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Gunnar become more popular?

Gunnar is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 415 boys named Gunnar in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Gunnar?

Well-known people named Gunnar include Gunnar Hansen (actor), Gunnar Sønsteby (social activist), Gunnar Nordahl (soccer player).

Names like Gunnar

Names that sound and feel close to Gunnar: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Gunnar with similar names → More names starting with G →