Gunnar

Did you know?

A few things about Gunnar you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Gunnar

Gunnar Nordahl

Swedish association football player (1921-1995)

Choose Gunnar and your child shares a first name with Gunnar Nordahl, a Swedish association football player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Gunnar, like who?” Gunnar Nordahl's Wikipedia article is available in 53 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Gunnar Nordahl on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 3,697 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Gunnar, 462 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Gunnar would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryGunnar first shows up in US birth records in 1893, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 132 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 2014, when it reached #382.
• 🍂TrendGunnar has slipped 86 places over the last five years and now sits at #612. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedGunnar is most popular in West Virginia, where it ranks #227, followed by New Hampshire (#230) and Maryland (#330). It's in the top 1,000 in 33 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Old Norse, Gunnar means “war, battle”.
• 🌍OriginGunnar is the #2 most popular Icelandic boy name in the US. That's out of 20 Icelandic boy and unisex names in our list.

About the name Gunnar

Gunnar is a boy name of Icelandic origin meaning “war, battle”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with G and ending in “-nar”. US birth records list Gunnar for boys from 1893 to 2025, in 118 of those 133 years. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked #382 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #612, with 462 babies.

Origin:Icelandic names