Hunter: Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, & Inspiration

Boy name origins & meanings

Old English : Search

What does Hunter mean and stand for?

The name Hunter is of English origin and means "one who hunts." It derives from the Old English word hunta and was once used as a surname for hunters.

Syllables: 2

Boy name variations

Family name origins & meanings

Scottish, English, and northern Irish : variant of Hunt, a Middle English secondary derivative formed with the addition of the agent noun suffix -er.

Popularity

According to Social Security Administration data, Hunter has been consistently popular, only recently falling from the top 50 which it had stayed in from 2012 to 2016. Despite the slow decline, Hunter remains in the top 100.

However, it is the 27th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years Hunter was at its peak popularity in October 2020.

Over the past few years, Hunter has fallen in popularity but is still rather popular, maintaining a spot in the top 100. The name invokes images of actor Hunter Foster, journalist Hunter S. Thompson, and actor Hunter Parrish. Joe Biden and Josh Holloway also chose the name for their sons. Hunter is a popular name for characters, appearing in Glee, Jumanji, Power Rangers: Ninja Storm, and Degrassi.