Hunter

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Hunter

Hunter S. Thompson

American journalist and author (1937–2005)

Choose Hunter and your child shares a first name with Hunter S. Thompson, an American journalist and author. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Hunter, like who?” Hunter S. Thompson's Wikipedia article is available in 73 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Hunter S. Thompson on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Photograph credited to "Cashman Photo Enterprises, Inc." Published by Random House., Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 619 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Hunter, 2,761 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Hunter would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryHunter has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Hunters, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 2000, when it ranked #35. Today it's #130, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowHunter was 3.9× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 157 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 619.
• 🍂TrendHunter has slipped 62 places over the last five years and now sits at #130. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedHunter is most popular in Rhode Island, where it ranks #52, followed by West Virginia (#58) and Montana (#66). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• ⚖️Boy or girlHunter is given to both boys and girls: 90% of the 3,084 babies named Hunter in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Hunter means “hunter”.

About the name Hunter

Hunter is a gender-neutral name of English origin meaning “hunter”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with H and ending in “-ter”. US birth records list Hunter for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 145 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked #35 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #130, with 2,761 babies. Of the 3,084 US babies named Hunter in 2025, 10% were girls and 90% were boys.

Origin:English names