Rymer
An English name derived from the Old French word "rimeur", meaning "poet" or "rhymer".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Rymer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rymer today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rymer births was 2021 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rymer. 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 Rymer. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2021
5 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,710
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Rymer: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rymer 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 Rymer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rymer
The name Rymer has its origins in the Old English language, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain. It is derived from the Old English word "ryme," which means "rim" or "border." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a boundary or border region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rymer appears in the medieval English romance "Thomas the Rhymer," written in the 13th century. In this poem, Thomas Rymer (also spelled Rymour or Rhymer) is a legendary Scottish laird who is said to have encountered the Queen of Elfland and spent several years in her realm.
Another notable historical figure with the name Rymer is John Rymer (c. 1633-1709), an English historian and editor who published a collection of treaties and other public acts titled "Foedera." This work, spanning 20 volumes, is a significant resource for the study of English history during the medieval and early modern periods.
In the 18th century, Thomas Rymer (1641-1713) was a renowned English critic and essayist who wrote extensively on dramatic theory and literary criticism. His work "A Short View of Tragedy" (1693) was particularly influential in shaping contemporary views on tragedy and its representation on the stage.
Another notable figure with the name Rymer is James Malcolm Rymer (1814-1884), a British writer who is regarded as one of the pioneers of the "penny dreadful" genre of sensational fiction. His most famous work is the gothic horror novel "Varney the Vampire, or the Feast of Blood" (1845-1847), which was published in serial form and is considered one of the earliest examples of vampire literature.
In the realm of music, Rymer has been used as a first name, though less commonly. One example is Rymer Cedric Rendall (1853-1913), an English composer and organist who served as the organist and choirmaster at Winchester College for over 30 years.
While the name Rymer is not widespread today, its historical roots can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period, and it has been borne by several influential figures in literature, history, and the arts over the centuries.
People
Rymer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rymer 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
Rymer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rymer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rymer 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Rymer a common name?
We classify Rymer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rymer most popular?
The single biggest year for Rymer was 2021, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rymer is about 5 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 Rymer in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rymer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rymer 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 Rymer still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rymer 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 Rymer 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 people are named Rymer?
Find out how many people have the name Rymer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.