Eyder
A Native American name meaning "fire starter" or "fire tender".
Name Census estimates that about 65 living Americans carry the first name Eyder. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Eyder today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eyder births was 2024 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eyder. 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 Eyder. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
65
~ 1 in 5,273,144 Americans
Peak year
2024
33 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,466
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Eyder: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eyder from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 58 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
Eyder 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 Eyder 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 Eyder
The name Eyder has its origins in the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the Germanic peoples who inhabited Scandinavia and parts of northern Europe during the Viking Age (around 800-1050 AD). The name is believed to be derived from the Old Norse word "eiðr," which means "isthmus" or "narrow strip of land."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eyder can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of historical and mythological narratives written in the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Saga of Grettir the Strong, there is a character named Eyder Sokkason, who was a prominent farmer and chieftain in Iceland during the 10th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Eyder was particularly prevalent in the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. One notable figure from this period was Eyder Svendsen (1490-1561), a Danish nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Danish Reformation.
In the 16th century, the name Eyder gained some popularity in parts of Germany, likely due to the influence of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. One example from this era is Eyder von Lübeck (1532-1598), a German merchant and explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions.
As the centuries passed, the name Eyder continued to be used, albeit more sporadically, across various parts of Europe. One notable figure was Eyder Jacobsen (1712-1784), a Norwegian shipbuilder and naval architect who designed several ships for the Danish-Norwegian Navy.
In more recent times, the name Eyder has remained relatively uncommon, but a few individuals have carried it forward. One example is Eyder Milligan (1938-2002), a British author and playwright who wrote several books and plays for television and radio.
While the name Eyder may not be as widespread today as it once was, its rich history and connection to the Old Norse language and Viking culture make it a unique and intriguing name with deep roots in the past.
People
Eyder + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eyder as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eyder: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eyder?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 65 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eyder 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 5,273,144 US residents.
Is Eyder a common name?
We classify Eyder as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 65 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eyder most popular?
The single biggest year for Eyder was 2024, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eyder is about 4 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 Eyder in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eyder a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eyder 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 Eyder still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eyder 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 Eyder 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 Eyder?
See how many people have the name Eyder on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.