Gunnar

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Gunnar

Gender: Masculine
Language: Swedish, Norwegian, etc.
Etymology:
Gunnar is a Scandinavian name meaning “War” from “gunnr.” It comes from the Germanic names of Guntard and Gunther, meaning “War Hardy” (gunnr, hard) and “War Army” (gunnr, heri).

History:
Gunnar comes from an old Germanic name, that has been in use since before the Middle Ages.

It was introduced to the United States by Scandinavian immigrants in the mid-19th century, although it did not last.

Gunnar was revived in the 1990s.

In the 20th century, Gunnar has been very common in Iceland, a little less so in Norway (it was at its most common in the 1920s) and Sweden. In Iceland, it still remains strong, though it is declining in the rest of Scandinavia.

Pronunciation: goo-nar (Scandinavian)

Alternates: Gunner.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Gunnar Edvard Rode Heiberg (1857-1929)
Norwegian dramatist.
Erik Gunnar Asplund (1885-1940)
Swedish architect.
Gunnar Björling (1887-1960)
Finnish-Swedish poet.
Gunnar Gunnarsson (1889-1975)
Icelandic novelist.
(Bengt) Gunnar Ekelöf (1907-1968)
Swedish poet.

Educators, Scholars, and Social Workers:
(Johan) Gunnar Andersson (1874-1960)
Swedish archaeologist.

Political Figures:
Gunnar Myrdal (1898-1987)
Swedish politician.
Gunnar Jarring (1907-)
Swedish diplomat.

Singers and Entertainers:
Gunnar Björnstrand (1909-1986)
Swedish actor.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
less than 0.004 % named Gunnar, Gunner, etc.

Popularity of Gunnar:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1990: N/A
1991: 737th most popular.
1992: 787th most popular.
1993: 786th most popular.
1994: 572nd most popular.
1995: 585th most popular.
1996: 565th most popular.
1997: 562nd most popular.
1998: 496th most popular.
1999: 552nd most popular.
2000: 581st most popular.
2001: 579th most popular.
2002: 559th most popular.
2003: 588th most popular.
2004: 575th most popular.

In Norway...
1995: 189th most popular.
1996: 205th most popular.
1997: 209th most popular.
1998: 198th most popular.
1999: 181st most popular.
2000: 197th most popular.
2001: 238th most popular.
2002: 230th most popular.
2003: 230th most popular.
2004: 361st most popular.
2005: 274th most popular.

In Sweden...
1998: N/A
1999: N/A
2000: 218th most popular.
2001: 246th most popular.
2002: N/A
2003: 294th most popular.
2004: 336th most popular.
2005: 321st most popular.

Popularity of Gunner:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1993:N/A
1994: 904th most popular.
1995: 769th most popular.
1996: 835th most popular.
1997: 740th most popular.
1998: 675th most popular.
1999: 739th most popular.
2000: 717th most popular.
2001: 675th most popular.
2002: 642nd most popular.
2003: 630th most popular.
2004: 595th most popular.

Selected Sources:
A Dictionary of First Names, Hanks and Hodges, 1990

The Academy of St. Gabriel, (www.s-gabriel.org) - Has plenty of statistics and articles on medieval names and medieval practices.

The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 - For popularity stats 1880-Present
The 1880 U.S. Census- For popularity stats 1850-1880, and other information (it is available on-line at www.familysearch.org)
Statistics Sweden (http://www.scb.se) for Swedish stats.
Statistics Norway (http://www.ssb.no) - for Norwegian stats.
Stastics Iceland (http://www.statice.is)