Hunter is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Hunter means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Hunter across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Hunter has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Hunter is a boy name of Old English origin meaning “one who hunts”. originally an occupational surname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 276,622 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 9,960 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 1,372 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 340 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 505 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 3,975 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Hunter per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2000 (13,252/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2018 (1,418/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2019 (172/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2021 (69/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2019 (46/yr).
Hunter has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 2000, when it ranked #45 nationally (given to 13,261 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2000s.
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