What Does the Name Hunter Mean?
Hunter is a unisex name of Old English origin meaning “one who hunts.”
Updated June 2026
| Name | Hunter |
|---|---|
| Gender | unisex |
| Origin | Old English |
| Meaning | one who hunts |
| Variants | Huntley, Hunt |
| Popularity | A US Top 100 name since the 1990s; chiefly male but occasionally used for girls. |
The meaning and origin of Hunter
The name Hunter means “one who hunts” and has Old English origins. Hunter comes from an English occupational surname for a hunter, from Old English hunta. It became widely used as a given name in the United States in the late 20th century and is used predominantly for boys.
Variants and related names
Hunter is related to several other names you may recognize: Huntley, Hunt. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.
How popular is the name Hunter?
A US Top 100 name since the 1990s; chiefly male but occasionally used for girls.
Popularity matters when you need believable test data: a name that fits the era or region you are modeling makes a generated profile look real. You can generate a complete fictional profile using the name Hunter below.
Generate a fake Hunter profile
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Open the name generator →Frequently asked questions
What does the name Hunter mean?+
The name Hunter means “one who hunts” and is of Old English origin.
What is the origin of the name Hunter?+
Hunter originates from Old English.
Is Hunter a popular name?+
Yes — see the popularity note above for how Hunter has trended in the US over time.
Hunter by gender
More unisex names
Sources
- Behind the Name — Etymology and history of first names — Behind the Name
- US Social Security Administration — Popular baby names by year — Social Security Administration
- A Dictionary of First Names — Oxford Reference — Oxford University Press