How Many People Are Named Gunnar?
An estimated 16,982 people in the United States have the first name Gunnar. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 18 years old, and Gunnar peaked in popularity in 2015 with 830 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Gunnar as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Gunnar paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
16,982
About 1 in 20,183 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
99.9% confidence
Average Age
18
years old
Peak Year
2015
830 births
Total Registered
17,715
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Gunnar
Gunnar is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 17,715 total births registered, 99.9% were male.
Gunnar as a male name
Ranked #600 in 2024
474 male births in 2024
Peak: 2015 (825 births)
Gunnar as a female name
Ranked #16,385 in 2019
5 female births in 2019
Peak: 2004 (6 births)
Gunnar in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 13,805 people with the first name Gunnar, which placed it at #1,993 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Gunnar was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 13,805 people with this name in that snapshot, 99.7% were male and 0.3% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 99.9% of the time.
Census Count
13,805
people with this name
Census Rank
#1,993
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
4.57
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Gunnar was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (87.77%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (5.28%) and Two or More Races (5.09%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Gunnar in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Gunnar.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 87.77% | 12,109 |
| Hispanic | 5.28% | 729 |
| Two or More Races | 5.09% | 702 |
| Black | 0.77% | 106 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.70% | 96 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.40% | 55 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Gunnar: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Gunnar span from the 1890s to the 2020s, covering 14 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 6,697 babies were registered. While Gunnar is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Gunnar by Decade
How has Gunnar tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Gunnar by State
Birth registrations for Gunnar span all 49 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, Washington. The lowest are in Vermont, Hawaii, Delaware. On average, about 306 Gunnars were registered per state.
Gunnar + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Gunnar as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Gunnar
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
Gunnar: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gunnar?
We estimate approximately 16,982 people named Gunnar are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 20,183 Americans share this first name.
Is Gunnar a common name?
Gunnar is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.3% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 17,715 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Gunnar most popular?
Gunnar reached peak popularity in 2015, when 830 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Gunnar is approximately 18 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Gunnar in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 13,805 people with the first name Gunnar. That placed it at #1,993 in the published Census first-name tables, or 4.57 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Gunnar was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gunnar?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Gunnar was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 99.7% male and 0.3% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gunnar?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Gunnar was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (87.77%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (5.28%) and Two or More Races (5.09%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Gunnar a male name?
Gunnar is predominantly male. 99.9% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Gunnar have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Gunnar peaked in 2015, and the average living bearer is about 18 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Gunnar Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Gunnar Smith, Gunnar Johnson, Gunnar Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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