Gustaf
Masculine
Gustaf is the Swedish spelling of a name carried by six kings. One of them commissioned a warship that sank about a mile into its first voyage, in full view of the city, and is now the best-preserved ship of its age anywhere.
How old is the name Gustaf?
Gustaf was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Gustaf alive today was born around 1923, making them about 102 years old. About 200 people named Gustaf are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Gustaf most popular?
Gustaf peaked in 1884, reaching #570 nationally. See the whole 1884 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Gustaf
The Vasa was built to be the most heavily armed ship in the Baltic, with two gun decks the king had insisted on, and she was top-heavy. She sailed from Stockholm on a calm day, caught a gust, heeled over, took water through the open gunports and went down within minutes, watched by a crowd. An inquiry found nobody at fault, which is what happens when the design was the king's idea. The brackish, oxygen-poor water of the harbor then preserved her for three hundred and thirty-three years. She was raised in one piece in the nineteen-sixties and is now in a museum built around her, with something like ninety-five percent of the original timber.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name's elements are argued over, with Norse and Slavic derivations both proposed. What is not in question is that this is the standard Swedish spelling rather than an American invention.
Pronouncing Gustaf
GUS-tahf
Two syllables with the stress in front. In Swedish the final f is soft and the first vowel is rounder.
Nicknames for Gustaf
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 191618 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #570reached in 1884
- Change vs 2018
- −16.7%5 in 2023, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Gustaf in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Gustaf in Swedish — same name
- Gustav in German — same name
Gustafs among us
people named Gustaf are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Gustaf sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Gus is available as a short form from the first day and needs no explaining.
- It is the standard spelling in Sweden, so it has a real tradition rather than being invented.
- It is read correctly at first sight and rarely needs spelling twice.
- Gustav is the commoner spelling in America, so this one will be corrected to it regularly.
- It reads as a name of an older generation in America, which is either the appeal or the obstacle.
- The name's own meaning is argued over, so that question has no settled answer.
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Gustaf
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Gustafs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Gustaf are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Gustaf in 2025?
- Gustaf is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Gustaf with classmates?
- Gustaf will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More G names
The most-given names starting with G, all years combined.
George#126 · Gary#1073 · Gregory#593 · Gerald#1204 · Gabriel#37 · Glenn#1443 · Gavin#303 · Gordon#1051
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Gustaf? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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