Ingar
A feminine name of Scandinavian origin meaning "descended from Yngvi/Freyr".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Ingar. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ingar today is around 60 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ingar births was 1964 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ingar. 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 Ingar. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1964
7 babies that year
Average age
60
years old
1964 SSA rank
#5,673
Tracked since 1964
Popularity
Ingar: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ingar 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 Ingar during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ingar
The name Ingar has its roots in Old Norse, the language spoken by the Norse people in Scandinavia and parts of northern Europe during the Viking Age (793-1066 CE). It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse word "ingr," which means "young warrior" or "hero." The name was popular among the Vikings, who valued strength, bravery, and heroism in battle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ingar can be found in the Icelandic sagas, which were written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas recount the lives and adventures of notable Icelanders and Norsemen, and the name Ingar appears in several of them, often associated with characters who displayed courage and valor.
In the Landnámabók (Book of Settlements), which chronicles the settlement of Iceland by Norse settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries, there is mention of an Ingar Olafsson, who was among the first settlers to establish a homestead in the region of Borgarfjörður in western Iceland.
Another notable figure in history with the name Ingar was Ingar Erlingsson (c. 1185-1237), a Norwegian nobleman and military commander. He served as the Earl of Orkney and played a significant role in the civil wars that plagued Norway during the early 13th century.
In the realm of Icelandic literature, one cannot overlook Ingar Steinsson (1876-1956), a prominent poet and playwright. His works, which often drew inspiration from Icelandic folklore and mythology, played a crucial role in the preservation and promotion of Icelandic cultural heritage.
Moving to more recent times, Ingar Iversen (1888-1969) was a Norwegian sailor and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions, including the famous Fram expedition led by Roald Amundsen. Iversen's contributions to polar exploration earned him a place in the annals of Norwegian history.
Finally, Ingar Gabrielsen (1925-2021) was a renowned Norwegian actor and theater director. He had a prolific career spanning over six decades, during which he performed in numerous plays and films, cementing his legacy as one of Norway's most celebrated thespians.
While the name Ingar may not be as common today as it once was, its historical roots and associations with bravery, heroism, and cultural significance make it a name with a rich and fascinating heritage.
People
Ingar + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ingar as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ingar: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ingar?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ingar 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Ingar a common name?
We classify Ingar as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ingar most popular?
The single biggest year for Ingar was 1964, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ingar is about 60 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ingar a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ingar 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.
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.