FastNamesHunter
English name meaning "Occupational surname derived from Old English hunta ('hunter') and the agent suffix -ere, signifying 'one who hunts game'.". Ranked 130th for boys in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Hunter
Occupational surname derived from Old English hunta ('hunter') and the agent suffix -ere, signifying 'one who hunts game'.
Linguistically, Hunter is classified under English naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "HUN-tər".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Hunter has been given to a total of 262,238 boys. It has also been given to 14,384 girls.
Peak year: Hunter reached its highest relative share among boys in 2000, when 12,538 babies received the name (6,384 per million births).
All-time best rank: 35th place, first achieved in 2000.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 130th with 2,761 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 41st (down 89 spots).
Busiest decade: More boys were named Hunter in the 2000s than in any other decade (94,860 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 84 |
| 1890s | 101 |
| 1900s | 125 |
| 1910s | 419 |
| 1920s | 576 |
| 1930s | 393 |
| 1940s | 470 |
| 1950s | 576 |
| 1960s | 764 |
| 1970s | 1,215 |
| 1980s | 5,871 |
| 1990s | 60,524 |
| 2000s | 94,860 |
| 2010s | 74,919 |
| 2020s | 21,341 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Hunter is most common in the US
Accounting for when Hunter was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- West Virginia: 2.5 times the national rate (3,318 births since 1910).
- Vermont: 2.4 times the national rate (753 births since 1910).
- Wyoming: 2.4 times the national rate (673 births since 1910).
- North Dakota: 2.1 times the national rate (1,176 births since 1910).
- Maine: 2.0 times the national rate (1,595 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Hunter?
About 256,000 living American boys and men share the name Hunter. Additionally, an estimated 14,000 living American girls and women share the name.
The median age of an American named Hunter is 21 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Hunter
Hunter originated as an Old English occupational byname and hereditary surname derived from hunta and the agent noun huntian ('to hunt'). In Anglo-Saxon and medieval feudal society, the hunter was an essential figure responsible for supplying game meat, managing forest preserves, and controlling predator populations on royal and manorial estates.
The surname was established across England and Scotland from the twelfth century, exemplified by Norman-Scottish landowners like the Hunters of Hunterston in Ayrshire. In the American South and frontier West, Hunter was frequently bestowed as a given name to commemorate family surnames or evoke self-reliant, outdoor pastoral virtues.
Hunter surged dramatically as a modern given name across the United States beginning in the 1980s. Entering the national top 100 in 1993, it swiftly climbed into the top forty by 2000, peaking at rank 35 in 2014 with over 9,000 baby boys annually. Its rugged cadence, natural imagery, and brisk sound have made it an enduring modern American favorite.
Notable people named Hunter
- Hunter S. Thompson (1937–2005), American author and journalist, founder of gonzo journalism
- Hunter Schafer (1998–), American actress, model, and activist
- Hunter Hayes (1991–), American country music singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
- Hunter Henry (1994–), American professional football tight end
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 129.
- P. H. Reaney, R. M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames (1997), p. 244.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.