Igor
Masculine · “guarded by Ing”
Russia's founding dynasty were Vikings, and their names prove it. Rurik is Hrorekr, Oleg is Helgi, Olga is Helga, and Igor is Ingvarr: the earliest rulers of the Rus carry Old Norse names that Slavic mouths reshaped.
How old is the name Igor?
Igor first appears in US birth records in 1951 — 74 years ago. The typical Igor alive today was born around 2004, making them about 21 years old. About 800 people named Igor are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Igor most popular?
Igor peaked in 1953, reaching #2391 nationally. Today it ranks #6803, 4,412 places below that high. See the whole 1953 chart.
Where it comes from
From Ingvarr to Igor
The story of Igor
The Primary Chronicle records the founding of the Rus by Scandinavian traders and warriors in the ninth century, and the earliest names in the dynasty are transparently Norse under a Slavic surface; within three generations the family was using Slavic names such as Sviatoslav and Vladimir, which is one of the clearest assimilation records anywhere. Igor of Kyiv, who died around 945, is the second ruler in the line. The name stayed in Russian and Ukrainian use, was carried by the prince of the twelfth-century Tale of Igor's Campaign, and became internationally known through Borodin's opera and through Stravinsky. Its best year in United States records is 1953.
Meaning
guarded by Ing, or Ing's warrior
Old Norse Ingvarr, combining Ing, a Germanic god also present in Ingrid and Ingeborg, with varr, guarded or a warrior. Slavic speakers reduced it to Igor. The god Ing is obscure but real, appearing in the Old English rune poem and in the tribal name Ingvaeones.
How the name formed
- Ingvarr
- Ingvar
- Igor
Related forms: Igor · Ihor · Ingvar · Igor
Pronouncing Igor
EE-gor
Two syllables with the stress on the first in Russian. English speakers say EE-gor or EYE-gor; the second is a purely English reading and is common.
Nicknames for Igor
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
- 1951
- Most boys named
- 199830 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2391reached in 1953
- Change vs 2024
- +9.1%12 in 2025, from 11
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.
Igor in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Igor in Russian — same name
- Ihor in Ukrainian — same name
- Ingvar in Swedish — related form
- Igor in Polish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Florida, California, New York.
Igors among us
people named Igor are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 142,340 born in 2025 was named Igor
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Emeterio test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Igor's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Emeterio climbed just as high around 1934, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Emeterio's path sketches the road Igor is walking now.
Igor sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Igor beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Igor in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled Norse meaning and a founding dynasty behind it.
- Four letters and no spelling difficulty in any language that uses it.
- Marks a Russian, Ukrainian or Polish heritage unmistakably.
- A stock character in horror films has attached itself to the name in English.
- Ukrainian says Ihor, which is the same name and looks different.
- English speakers may use a long i in the first syllable.
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What they receive
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Igor
Masculine · #6803 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Igors are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Igor are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Igor in 2025?
- Igor ranks #6803 among US boy names in 2025, with 12 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Igor?
- About 1 in every 142,340 US boys born in 2025 was named Igor — 12 in all.
- Will my child share the name Igor with classmates?
- Igor will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Igor
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Zeb#6803 · Buster#6803 · Fabien#6803 · Eston#6803 · Tyjuan#6803 · Fuad#6803 · Aaiden#6803 · Sanford#6803
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Igor? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Igor and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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