Arnt
Derived from Old Norse meaning "eagle power" or "eagle strength".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Arnt. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Arnt today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arnt births was 1917 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arnt. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Arnt. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1917
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1921 SSA rank
#4,365
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Arnt: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arnt from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arnt by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Arnt during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Arnt
The given name Arnt has its origins in the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the ancient Germanic peoples of Scandinavia and parts of northern Europe during the Viking Age, roughly between the 8th and 11th centuries AD. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "arn," meaning "eagle," and is believed to have been originally used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who possessed eagle-like qualities, such as strength, keen eyesight, or a fierce and noble demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arnt can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of medieval literary works that recount the lives and adventures of the Norse settlers in Iceland. In the Saga of Grettir the Strong, written in the 13th century, there is a character named Arnt Thorvaldsson, who lived in the late 10th century and was known for his exceptional strength and bravery.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Arnt remained prevalent in Scandinavia and the regions influenced by Norse culture, such as parts of present-day Germany and the British Isles. Notable historical figures who bore the name include Arnt Karlsson (c. 1320-1380), a Swedish military commander and statesman who played a significant role in the conflicts between Sweden and Denmark during the 14th century.
In the 15th century, Arnt von Trier (c. 1420-1492) was a German Catholic bishop and theologian who served as the Prince-Bishop of Trier from 1468 until his death. He was known for his efforts to reform the clergy and promote education within his diocese.
During the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, Arnt Pederssøn Øverland (c. 1490-1540) was a Norwegian Lutheran clergyman and one of the first to translate the Bible into the Norwegian language, contributing to the spread of Protestantism in Norway.
Another notable figure was Arnt Arnesen (1763-1842), a Norwegian merchant and ship owner who played a significant role in the development of maritime trade and industry in Norway during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
While the name Arnt has its roots in Old Norse and has been predominantly used in Scandinavian and Germanic regions, it has also been adopted and adapted by other cultures and languages over time, reflecting the cultural exchanges and influences that have shaped the history of names across different societies.
People
Arnt + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arnt as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Arnt: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arnt?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arnt going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Arnt a common name?
We classify Arnt as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arnt most popular?
The single biggest year for Arnt was 1917, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arnt is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Arnt in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Arnt a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Arnt in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Arnt still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Arnt in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Arnt can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Arnt?
See how many people have the name Arnt on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.