Gunder
A masculine name of Scandinavian origin meaning "warrior" or "battle".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Gunder. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gunder today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gunder births was 1884 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gunder. 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 Gunder. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1884
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1925 SSA rank
#4,495
Tracked since 1884
Popularity
Gunder: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gunder from the 1880s through to the 1920s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 5 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
Gunder 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 Gunder 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 Gunder
The name Gunder is of Scandinavian origin, with roots tracing back to the Old Norse language. It is believed to have emerged during the Viking Age, which spanned from the late 8th century to the late 11th century. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "gunnarr," which means "warrior" or "battle."
In ancient Norse mythology, Gunder was the name of a legendary hero known for his bravery and skill in combat. This association with heroism and valor likely contributed to the name's popularity among the Norse people. The earliest recorded instances of the name Gunder can be found in runic inscriptions and ancient Scandinavian texts from the 9th and 10th centuries.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Gunder was Gunder the Old, a powerful Norwegian chieftain who lived in the 11th century. He is mentioned in the Icelandic sagas, which recount his exploits and his role in the conflicts between the Norwegian kings and the Danish rulers.
Another noteworthy Gunder was Gunder Gundersen (1530-1599), a Norwegian politician and landowner who served as the Governor of Akershus Fortress, one of the most important fortifications in Norway during the 16th century.
In the realm of literature, Gunder Haeggblom (1864-1948) was a Finnish author and journalist whose works explored themes of social justice and the struggles of the working class. His novel "Arbetarens Son" (The Worker's Son) is considered a landmark in Finnish proletarian literature.
The name Gunder also had a presence in the arts, with Gunder Anker Gundersen (1856-1936) being a prominent Norwegian painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in Norway.
Lastly, Gunder Hägg (1910-2004) was a Swedish athlete and Olympic medalist who won gold in the 5,000-meter and silver in the 1,500-meter events at the 1942 European Athletics Championships.
People
Gunder + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gunder as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gunder: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gunder?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gunder 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 Gunder a common name?
We classify Gunder 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, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gunder most popular?
The single biggest year for Gunder was 1884, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gunder 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 Gunder in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gunder a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gunder 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 Gunder still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gunder 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 Gunder 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 common is the name Gunder?
See how many people share the name Gunder on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.