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The short answer
Gunnar is a masculine name used in Swedish and Norwegian. Behind the Name describes it this way: "From the Old Norse name Gunnarr, which was derived from the elements gunnr ‘war’ and herr ‘army, warrior’ (making it a cognate of Gunther). In Norse legend Gunnar was the husband of Brynhildr." It ranked #612 for boys in the United States in 2025.
Meaning and etymology
According to Behind the Name, from the Old Norse name Gunnarr, which was derived from the elements gunnr ‘war’ and herr ‘army, warrior’ (making it a cognate of Gunther). In Norse legend Gunnar was the husband of Brynhildr. The entry lists its usage as Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic and others.
Editorial confidence: likely
Popularity
Gunnar ranked #612 for boys in the United States in 2025. The figure comes from the Social Security Administration's national file for that year.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | #612 | ssa-2025 |
If you like this name
Names that Behind the Name files under the same origin (Swedish) and that sit near Gunnar in the 2025 American rankings.
Similar by origin
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Gunnar mean?
Behind the Name does not give Gunnar a one-word meaning. It describes the name as follows: from the Old Norse name Gunnarr, which was.
Is Gunnar a popular name?
Gunnar ranked #612 for boys in the United States in 2025. (Social Security Administration data).
Is Gunnar a boy's or a girl's name?
In the 2025 SSA data Gunnar appears in the boys' list; Behind the Name labels it masculine.
Sources
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Gunnar — supports meaning, usage, pronunciation, variants.
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity.
