Hunter
Hunter is a unisex name of English origin meaning “one who hunts; huntsman.” It ranked #63 in the United States in 2025. An English occupational surname for someone who hunts.
how do you pronounce Hunter?
HUN-ter
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Hunter mean?
The name Hunter means “one who hunts; huntsman.” It comes from the English language tradition.
An English occupational surname for someone who hunts. It crossed over as a given name in the late 20th century and remains a popular choice evoking the outdoors and rugged self-reliance.
where does the name Hunter come from?
An English occupational surname for someone who hunted, from the Old English hunta. Like most occupational surnames it recorded an actual trade rather than a pastime — a huntsman was a household servant with a defined role.
the history of Hunter
Hunter is a long-established Scottish and English surname, and Clan Hunter held lands in Ayrshire from the twelfth century. Its conversion to a given name is a twentieth-century American development, rising sharply from the 1970s into the top hundred for boys, with lighter but persistent use for girls.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #63 |
| 2023 | #61 |
| 2022 | #59 |
| 2021 | #57 |
| 2020 | #56 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Hunter?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Hunter?
- Hunter S. Thompson (journalist)
- Hunter Biden (lawyer)
- Holly Hunter (actress)
what names are similar to Hunter?
what names go well with Hunter?
Sibling names that share Hunter's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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