Gunhild
Feminine name of Old Norse origin meaning "battle" or "combat maiden".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Gunhild. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gunhild today is around 102 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gunhild births was 1916 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gunhild. 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
- • The typical person named Gunhild is about 102 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gunhilds were born before 1934.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gunhild. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1916
18 babies that year
Average age
102
years old
1926 SSA rank
#5,175
Tracked since 1890
Popularity
Gunhild: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gunhild from the 1890s through to the 1920s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 100 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Gunhild remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gunhild 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 Gunhild during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gunhilds live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gunhild
The name Gunhild is of Old Norse origin, derived from the Germanic elements "gund" meaning "war" or "battle" and "hildr" meaning "battle" or "combat." It was a common feminine name in Scandinavia during the Viking Age, roughly between the 8th and 11th centuries.
The name Gunhild first appeared in the Old Norse sagas and Icelandic literature. One of the earliest known references is in the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems dating back to the 13th century. The name is mentioned in the poem "Guðrúnarkviða," where Gunhild is described as a powerful and cunning queen.
In the 9th century, Gunhild was the name of a Norwegian queen consort, wife of King Eric Bloodaxe. She was known for her political influence and her role in supporting her husband's claim to the Norwegian throne.
Another notable figure named Gunhild was a Danish princess who lived in the 10th century. She was the daughter of King Harald Bluetooth and played a significant role in the Christianization of Denmark.
In the 11th century, Gunhild was the name of a Swedish princess, the daughter of King Anund Gårdske. She married the Norwegian king, Svein Knutsson, and became Queen of Norway.
One of the most famous Gunhilds in history was Gunhild of Wenden, a semi-legendary Swedish princess who lived in the 12th century. She is celebrated in Swedish folklore for her bravery and leadership during a time of war.
Throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern period, the name Gunhild continued to be used in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. It was also adopted in other parts of Europe, such as Germany and England, where it evolved into various spellings like Gunhilda, Gunhilde, and Gunnhild.
People
Gunhild + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gunhild 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
Gunhild: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gunhild?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gunhild 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Gunhild a common name?
We classify Gunhild as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 169 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gunhild most popular?
The single biggest year for Gunhild was 1916, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gunhild is about 102 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 Gunhild in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gunhild a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gunhild in the SSA data are female. 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 Gunhild still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gunhild 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 Gunhild 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 Gunhild?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Gunhild on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.