Palmer is a unisex name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Palmer means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Palmer across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Palmer has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Palmer is a unisex name of Latin origin meaning “pilgrim, palm bearer”. A surname for a pilgrim who carried a palm from the Holy Land.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 18,653 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 106 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 4 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 Palmer per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2025 (1,560/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2025 (37/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2023 (4/yr).
Palmer has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2025, when it ranked #436 nationally (given to 1,597 babies that year).
Palmira · Plummer · Plumer · Palmyra · Palmera · Balmore
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