Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2018

Rainer

Meaning counsel by the gods Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #3,429 Trend → Stable

Variant of Rayner, a patronymic surname from a medieval given name from Proto-Germanic *raginą (“counsel by the gods”) + *harjaz (“army”).

Rank 2025
#3,429
among boys · ↓805 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
34
named Rainer · -33% vs 2024
How common
1 in 50,238
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2018
53 babies
All-time total
1,276
#4,424 all-time among boys
First recorded
1955
in Social Security records

Rainer popularity over time

1,276 babies have been named Rainer since 1955, 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
0.010.020.030.0418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – 47 47 5 – #2,242
1960s – 135 135 14 +187% #1,783
1970s – 54 54 5 -60% #3,547
1980s – 91 91 9 +69% #2,572
1990s – 129 129 13 +42% #3,812
2000s 5 200 205 21 +59% #3,714
2010s 5 334 339 34 +65% #2,464
2020s (to 2025) 6 270 276 46 +36% #2,518

Where Rainer 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 34 0.02 outside top 500
2027 34 0.02 outside top 500
2028 33 0.02 outside top 500
2029 33 0.02 outside top 500
2030 33 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Rainer

Rainer is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,429 in 2025 with 34 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1955, 1,276 American babies have been named Rainer. Its peak came in 2018, when 53 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 Rainer stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Rainer?

The median living Rainer is about 16 years old; half are between 6 and 34. An estimated 1,200 people named Rainer are alive in the United States today.

median 16 020406080100

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

Rainer 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 – – 34 #3,429
2024 – – 51 #2,624
2023 – – 45 #2,838
2022 – – 44 #2,906
2021 – – 53 #2,518
2020 6 #14,729 43 #2,829
2019 – – 35 #3,326
2018 – – 53 #2,464
2017 – – 48 #2,623
2016 – – 43 #2,823
2015 – – 36 #3,211
2014 – – 35 #3,201
2013 – – 27 #3,832
2012 – – 23 #4,354
2011 – – 19 #4,942
2010 5 #19,192 15 #5,969
2009 5 #19,536 24 #4,247
2008 – – 29 #3,714
2007 – – 22 #4,467
2006 – – 27 #3,752
2005 – – 25 #3,793
2004 – – 18 #4,741
2003 – – 10 #7,118
2002 – – 17 #4,659
2001 – – 18 #4,423
2000 – – 10 #6,711
1995 – – 17 #3,812
1990 – – 12 #4,611
1985 – – 20 #2,572
1980 – – 5 #7,040
1975 – – 7 #4,668
1970 – – 6 #4,603
1965 – – 13 #2,347
1960 – – 13 #2,403
1955 – – 7 #3,433
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Rainer

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

  1. 1 Rainer Maria Rilke Rainer Maria Rilke Austrian poet and writer (1875–1926) 19th century
  2. 2 Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder German filmmaker (1945–1982) Contemporary
  3. 3 Rainer Weiss Rainer Weiss American physicist (1932–2025) Contemporary
  4. 4 Rainer Bonhof Rainer Bonhof German footballer (born 1952) Contemporary
  5. 5 Rainer Woelki Rainer Woelki German Cardinal of the Catholic Church (born 1956) Contemporary
  6. 6 Rainer Schüttler Rainer Schüttler German tennis player b. 1976 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Rainer Barzel Rainer Barzel German politician (1924–2006) Contemporary
  8. 8 Rainer Brüderle Rainer Brüderle German politician (born 1945) Contemporary
  9. 9 Rainer Zobel Rainer Zobel German footballer and manager b. 1948 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Rainer Hasler Rainer Hasler Liechtenstein footballer (1958–2014) Contemporary
  11. 11 Rainer Schönfelder Rainer Schönfelder Austrian alpine skier b. 1977 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Rainer von Fieandt Rainer von Fieandt Prime minister of Finland from 1957 to 1958 1890–1972 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Rainer?

The median living Rainer is about 16 years old. Half of all living Rainers are between 6 and 34 years old.

How many people named Rainer are alive today?

An estimated 1,200 people named Rainer are alive in the United States, based on 1,276 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Rainer mean?

Variant of Rayner, a patronymic surname from a medieval given name from Proto-Germanic *raginą (“counsel by the gods”) + *harjaz (“army”).

How popular is the name Rainer in 2025?

Rainer ranked #3,429 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 34 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Rainer?

1,276 babies have been named Rainer in the United States since 1955, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Rainer most popular?

Rainer peaked in 2018, when 53 newborns received the name.

Is Rainer a boy or girl name?

Rainer is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Rainer rising or falling?

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

Will Rainer become more popular?

Rainer looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 33 boys named Rainer in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Rainer?

Well-known people named Rainer include Rainer Maria Rilke (writer), Rainer Werner Fassbinder (film director), Rainer Weiss (physicist).

Names like Rainer

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

Compare Rainer with similar names → More names starting with R →