Unisex name · since 1880
Hunter
262,238 babies named Hunter in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2000. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #144 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #130 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 262,238
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
262,238 babies have been named Hunter since 1880, making it today's #130 unisex name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hunter has been recorded 262,238 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #130 nationally and more common than 99.1% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #144 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #130 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 262,238 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hunter ranks #144 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #130 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 262,238 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #144 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #130 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 262,238
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
Hunter's 262,238 recorded births place it above 99.68% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Hunter compares
262,238 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Hunter's all-time total is 711x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Hunter | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 262,238 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 12,538 | 34 | 22,252 |
Hunter's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Hunter splits its recorded history at 1953: 99% of all births land in the more recent half, 1% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1903 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2000 peak of 12,538 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Hunter popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2000)
- 12,538
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Hunter popularity over time - girls
14,384 total births recorded since 1902 (Hunter as girls' name)
Hunter by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (94,860 births, 36% of the file).
2000s was Hunter's strongest decade.
94,860 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Hunter births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 84
1880s
84 births
- 1890s 101
1890s
101 births
- 1900s 125
1900s
125 births
- 1910s 419
1910s
419 births
- 1920s 576
1920s
576 births
- 1930s 393
1930s
393 births
- 1940s 470
1940s
470 births
- 1950s 576
1950s
576 births
- 1960s 764
1960s
764 births
- 1970s 1,215
1970s
1,215 births
- 1980s 5,871
1980s
5,871 births
- 1990s
1990s
60,524 births
- 2000s
2000s
94,860 births
- 2010s
2010s
74,919 births
- 2020s 21,341
2020s
21,341 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 94,860 births (36% of all-time use).
How Hunter compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Hunter's total volume
Hunter by state
Where Hunter concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 19,621 | 7.5% |
| #2 | California | | 17,081 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Florida | | 13,035 | 5.0% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 11,056 | 4.2% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 10,330 | 3.9% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 9,950 | 3.8% |
| #7 | New York | | 9,915 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 9,727 | 3.7% |
19,621 of 262,238 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Hunter appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Hunter? ▼
Where does Hunter sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Hunter most popular? ▼
Where is Hunter most popular? ▼
Is Hunter a unisex name? ▼
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What names are similar to Hunter? ▼
What to do with Hunter's data
- Hunter's decade-level peak was the 2000s (94,860 total births); usage has since declined to 21,341 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Hunters (19,621 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Hunter
Nearby Names Like Hunter
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Hunter
Compare Hunter side by side: Hunter vs Huntley Hunter vs Hung Hunter vs Hunner
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Hunter
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Hunter: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2000)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Hunter draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.