Rasmus
A Danish masculine name derived from a Scandinavian word meaning "bundle of branches".
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the first name Rasmus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rasmus today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rasmus births was 2024 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rasmus. 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.
People living today
128
~ 1 in 2,677,768 Americans
Peak year
2024
18 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,380
Tracked since 1888
Popularity
Rasmus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rasmus from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 68 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rasmus remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rasmus 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 Rasmus 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 Rasmus
The name Rasmus is a Scandinavian name of Danish and Swedish origin, derived from the Old Norse name Rasmus, which itself was a contracted form of the name Rasmund. The name Rasmund is composed of the Old Norse elements "ras" meaning "stem" or "twig" and "mundr" meaning "protection."
This name dates back to the Viking Age, around the 8th to 11th centuries in Scandinavia. It was initially used as a masculine given name among the Norse peoples of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. The earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in ancient Norse sagas and historical records from this period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Rasmus was Rasmus Knudsen, a Danish historian and clergyman who lived from 1501 to 1573. He is known for his work "Chronica Regni Daniae" (Chronicle of the Kingdom of Denmark), which documented the history of Denmark from the reign of King Valdemar II to the death of King Hans in 1513.
Another notable bearer of the name was Rasmus Rask, a Danish linguist and philologist who lived from 1787 to 1832. He made significant contributions to the study of comparative linguistics and was instrumental in deciphering the Old Persian cuneiform script.
In the 16th century, Rasmus Lætus (also known as Rasmus Glad) was a Danish humanist scholar and educator who lived from 1496 to 1561. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the University of Copenhagen and served as its first rector.
The name Rasmus also appears in literature, such as in the works of the famous Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. His story "The Tiny Fiddler" features a character named Rasmus who is a wandering musician.
Another historical figure with the name Rasmus was Rasmus Malling-Hansen, a Danish reverend and inventor who lived from 1835 to 1890. He is credited with inventing the Hansen Writing Ball, which is considered one of the earliest predecessors of the modern typewriter.
While the name Rasmus has its origins in Scandinavia, it has been used in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with strong Danish or Swedish cultural influences. However, its usage has been most prevalent in Denmark, Sweden, and other Scandinavian countries, where it has maintained its historical significance and cultural relevance over the centuries.
People
Rasmus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rasmus as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rasmus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rasmus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 128 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rasmus 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 2,677,768 US residents.
Is Rasmus a common name?
We classify Rasmus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 134 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rasmus most popular?
The single biggest year for Rasmus was 2024, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rasmus is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rasmus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rasmus 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.