Gunnar

“Battle warrior (Old Norse gunnr 'fight' + harjaz 'warrior')” — Old Norse origin

Boy's name · #612 in the US (2025) · 2010s

Gunnar's best rank, #382, came in 2014; it has settled back to #612 today. Roughly 18,000 boys have been named Gunnar since 1893.

Around the world: about 1 in 700 boys in Sweden (2025) · about 1 in 1,500 boys in Norway (2025) · about 1 in 5,500 boys in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 39 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Gunnars

Gunnar Myrdal — Swedish economist (1898–1987)
Gunnar Nordahl — Swedish association football player (1921-1995)
Gunnar Gren — Swedish footballer
Gunnar Asplund — Swedish architect (1885-1940)
Gunnar Ekelöf — Swedish writer (1907–1968)

In stories & tradition

Gunnar — Nibelungenlied · Völsunga saga
Gunnar Mustavaara — Salatut elämät
Gunnar Scott — Nashville

What Gunnars become

Among 2,101 notable people named Gunnar:

Business leaders appear 1.54× more often than among typical names — e.g. Gunnar Ericsson, Swedish businessman, sports official, politician (1919-2013).

Similar names: Maximilian · Gunner · Kamden · Landyn · Bjorn · Ragnar

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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