Gunnar
Meaning
from Old Norse Gunnarr, gunnr "war" + herr "army, warrior"
The story
Gunnar is Old Norse Gunnarr, built from war and army, warrior in its two old elements, a name that sounds like what it says. In Norse legend Gunnar is the husband of Brynhildr, and no hero in the clean sense: the story has him arranging the murder of Sigurd, his own brother-in-law, on his wife's false accusation. American records carry a long quiet line, about 160 boys in the 1910s and a steady trickle for decades, then the 1990s multiplied the 1980s figure nearly tenfold to about 2,800. The 2000s reached about 4,300, the 2010s about 6,700, and about 3,000 have arrived so far this decade. Two punchy syllables with a growl in the middle, and a legend attached that is anything but tame.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Gunnar peaked in the 2010s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
260 people · the #21,104 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 30
Among people named Gunnar living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Gunnar
Most people given the name Gunnar in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Gunnar deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Gunnar truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Gunnar fits with your family’s names and surname.
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