Cramer
A masculine German name, likely derived from the Middle High German word "kram" meaning "shopkeeper" or "merchant."
Name Census estimates that about 36 living Americans carry the first name Cramer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cramer today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cramer births was 1989 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cramer. 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 Cramer. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
36
~ 1 in 9,520,954 Americans
Peak year
1989
14 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1994 SSA rank
#7,094
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Cramer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cramer from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 20 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
Cramer 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 Cramer 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 Cramer
The name Cramer is of German origin, derived from the occupational surname "Kramer," which means "trader" or "merchant." It is believed to have originated in the 13th or 14th century, when the mercantile trade flourished in German-speaking regions of Europe.
The earliest recorded use of the name Cramer can be traced back to the 15th century, where it appeared in various historical records and documents from Germany and neighboring areas. One notable individual bearing this name was Gabriel Cramer, a renowned Swiss mathematician and philosopher born in 1704. He is best known for his contributions to the field of algebra and for Cramer's rule, a method for solving systems of linear equations.
Another prominent figure in history with the name Cramer was Marc Cramer, a Dutch Golden Age painter born in 1613. He was known for his still-life paintings and landscapes, and his works are displayed in several museums across Europe.
In the 19th century, Cramer gained recognition as the surname of Walter Cramer, an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut from 1857 to 1859. He was also a prominent figure in the anti-slavery movement.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Cramer in more recent history is Ralph Cramer, an American actor and director born in 1923. He is best known for his roles in several television series and films, including "The Odd Couple" and "Soap."
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Florian Cramer, a contemporary German writer, artist, and curator born in 1975. He is known for his works exploring the intersections between art, technology, and culture, and has published several books and articles on these topics.
While the name Cramer has its roots in the German language and occupational history, it has since been adopted and used across various cultures and regions, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in fields as diverse as mathematics, art, politics, and entertainment.
People
Cramer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cramer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cramer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cramer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 36 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cramer 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 1 in 9,520,954 US residents.
Is Cramer a common name?
We classify Cramer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 49.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 55 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cramer most popular?
The single biggest year for Cramer was 1989, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cramer is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cramer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cramer 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.
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.