Ragnar
Masculine · “warrior of the gods' counsel”
Ragnar is counsel of the gods in Norse — regin and herr — and Ragnarök, the doom of the gods, shares the first element.
How old is the name Ragnar?
Ragnar first appears in US birth records in 1915 — 110 years ago. The typical Ragnar is a kid of about 5 — this name's wave is very recent. About 800 people named Ragnar are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ragnar most popular?
Ragnar peaked in 2023, reaching #1718 nationally. Today it ranks #2539, 821 places below that high. See the whole 2023 chart.
Where it comes from
From regin herr to Ragnar
The story of Ragnar
Regin names the ruling powers, the gods considered as those who decide — and Ragnarök is their doom. Ragnar Lodbrok is a legendary Viking king whose sons are said to have led the Great Heathen Army into England. The name is standard in Scandinavia and is in current American use.
Meaning
warrior of the gods' counsel
From the Old Norse Ragnarr — regin, 'the gods' or 'the ruling powers', and herr or arr, 'army' or 'warrior'. Ragnarök, 'the fate of the gods', carries the same regin. The elements are documented and the reading undisputed.
How the name formed
- regin herr
- Ragnarr
- Ragnar
Related forms: Ragnarr · Ragnar · Ragnar
Pronouncing Ragnar
RAG-nar
Two syllables, stress on the first. Icelandic gives the r a rolled quality.
Nicknames for Ragnar
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
- 1915
- Most boys named
- 202397 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1718reached in 2023
- Change vs 2024
- −17.5%52 in 2025, from 63
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.
Ragnar in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ragnarr in Old Norse — related form
- Ragnar in Swedish — same name
- Ragnar in Icelandic — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Ragnars among us
people named Ragnar are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 32,848 born in 2025 was named Ragnar
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 Maximino test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Ragnar's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Maximino climbed just as high around 1978, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Maximino's path sketches the road Ragnar is walking now.
Ragnar 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
Where Ragnar is headed
Ragnar should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Ragnar beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Ragnar in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That Ragnarök shares the first element is a first-rate connection.
- The gods'-counsel meaning is grand and transparent.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- A television series is a strong recent association.
- The Rag clipping is unfortunate in English.
- It reads as specifically Scandinavian.
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What they receive
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Ragnar
Masculine · #2539 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Ragnars 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 Ragnar are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ragnar in 2025?
- Ragnar ranks #2539 among US boy names in 2025, with 52 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Ragnar?
- About 1 in every 32,848 US boys born in 2025 was named Ragnar — 52 in all.
- Will my child share the name Ragnar with classmates?
- Ragnar will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Ragnar
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Yanis#2539 · Ebenezer#2539 · Mazen#2539 · Ziyad#2539 · Mercer#2539 · Ramy#2539 · Konnor#2539 · Luigi#2539
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ragnar? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ragnar 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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