Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1917

Meyer

Gender Boy · 4% girls Rank 2025 #1,693 Trend ↑ Rising 43%

A male given name from Hebrew, of Jewish usage, an alternative form of Meir.

Rank 2025
#1,693
among boys · ↑110 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
105
named Meyer · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,609
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1917
214 babies
All-time total
5,612
#1,703 all-time among boys
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Meyer popularity over time

5,612 babies have been named Meyer since 1881, 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
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 42 42 4 – #578
1890s – 90 90 9 +114% #580
1900s – 252 252 25 +180% #340
1910s – 1,593 1,593 159 +532% #301
1920s – 1,033 1,033 103 -35% #506
1930s – 197 197 20 -81% #1,210
1940s – 138 138 14 -30% #1,571
1950s – 150 150 15 +9% #1,844
1960s – 89 89 9 -41% #2,468
1970s – 127 127 13 +43% #1,963
1980s – 103 103 10 -19% #3,583
1990s – 164 164 16 +59% #3,024
2000s – 274 274 27 +67% #2,688
2010s 113 596 709 71 +159% #1,915
2020s (to 2025) 95 556 651 109 +53% #1,690

Where Meyer 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 103 0.06 outside top 500
2027 108 0.06 outside top 500
2028 113 0.07 outside top 500
2029 117 0.07 outside top 500
2030 121 0.07 outside top 500

Where Meyer is most popular

Boys named Meyer per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.055 per 1,000. Strongest in New York, Iowa, and Illinois.

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 Meyer 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
New York 75 0.173 +214%
Iowa 11 0.160 +189%
Illinois 33 0.129 +134%
Nebraska 5 0.115 +109%
New Jersey 17 0.084 +53%
Kansas 5 0.073 +32%
California 43 0.047 -15%
Missouri 6 0.043 -21%
North Carolina 10 0.039 -29%
Texas 31 0.035 -36%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -50%
Pennsylvania 5 0.019 -66%
Florida 6 0.013 -77%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
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 Meyer

Meyer is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,693 in 2025 with 97 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 5,612 American babies have been named Meyer. Its peak came in 1917, when 214 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

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 Meyer stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Meyer?

The median living Meyer is about 12 years old; half are between 5 and 31. An estimated 2,300 people named Meyer are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

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

Meyer 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 8 #11,582 97 #1,693
2024 19 #6,324 91 #1,803
2023 17 #6,840 101 #1,690
2022 23 #5,580 90 #1,812
2021 13 #8,323 97 #1,696
2020 15 #7,456 80 #1,863
2019 6 #14,983 62 #2,252
2018 7 #13,364 67 #2,113
2017 20 #6,215 66 #2,104
2016 21 #6,121 77 #1,915
2015 14 #8,293 73 #1,994
2014 20 #6,364 64 #2,149
2013 19 #6,643 62 #2,157
2012 6 #16,240 56 #2,316
2011 – – 33 #3,345
2010 – – 36 #3,160
2009 – – 46 #2,688
2008 – – 36 #3,201
2007 – – 39 #3,006
2006 – – 23 #4,180
2005 – – 33 #3,144
2004 – – 17 #4,932
2003 – – 22 #3,923
2002 – – 13 #5,623
2001 – – 19 #4,233
2000 – – 26 #3,268
1995 – – 20 #3,398
1990 – – 21 #3,024
1985 – – 12 #3,726
1980 – – 5 #6,918
1975 – – 16 #2,603
1970 – – 8 #3,727
1965 – – 6 #3,799
1960 – – 10 #2,802
1955 – – 16 #2,023
1950 – – 14 #2,086
1945 – – 17 #1,675
1940 – – 12 #2,152
1935 – – 16 #1,809
1930 – – 35 #1,210
1925 – – 87 #694
1920 – – 132 #533
1915 – – 203 #377
1910 – – 52 #358
1905 – – 22 #489
1900 – – 19 #573
1895 – – 12 #632
1890 – – 7 #854
1885 – – 5 #1,040
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Meyer

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

  1. 1 Meyer Lansky Meyer Lansky American gangster (1902–1983) Contemporary
  2. 2 Meyer Guggenheim Meyer Guggenheim Patriarch of the Guggenheim family (1828–1905) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Meyer?

The median living Meyer is about 12 years old. Half of all living Meyers are between 5 and 31 years old.

How many people named Meyer are alive today?

An estimated 2,300 people named Meyer are alive in the United States, based on 5,612 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Meyer mean?

A male given name from Hebrew, of Jewish usage, an alternative form of Meir.

How popular is the name Meyer in 2025?

Meyer ranked #1,693 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 97 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Meyer?

5,612 babies have been named Meyer in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Meyer most popular?

Meyer peaked in 1917, when 214 newborns received the name.

Is Meyer a boy or girl name?

Meyer is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 96% of babies with the name.

Is the name Meyer rising or falling?

Meyer is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Meyer become more popular?

Meyer is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 121 boys named Meyer 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 Meyer?

Well-known people named Meyer include Meyer Lansky (mafioso), Meyer Guggenheim (businessperson).

Names like Meyer

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

Compare Meyer with similar names → More names starting with M →