Rune
Masculine · “secret”
Rune is given to both — 713 boys and 148 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Rune is a secret. The Old Norse rún meant a mystery or a whispered confidence before it meant a letter, and the alphabet was named for the secrecy.
How old is the name Rune?
Rune first appears in US birth records in 2001 — 24 years ago. The typical Rune is a kid of about 5 — this name's wave is very recent. About 700 people named Rune are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rune most popular?
Rune peaked in 2025, reaching #1778 nationally. Today it ranks #1778, exactly where it peaked. See the whole 2025 chart.
Rune appears on these lists:
Works in Scandinavian families too:
Where it comes from
From rún to Rune
The story of Rune
The runic alphabets were used across the Germanic world from the second century and survived in Scandinavia into the Middle Ages. Rune is a standard Norwegian and Danish given name, common through the twentieth century. Scandinavian emigration brought it to America, where it appears in the registers and is in current use.
Meaning
secret, mystery, rune
From the Old Norse rún, 'secret' or 'mystery', which came to name the letters of the futhark. Related words in Old English and Gothic mean a confidence or a whispered counsel. The letters were called that because writing itself was held to be arcane. The etymology is documented.
How the name formed
- rún
- Rune
Related forms: Rune · Rune · Rune
Pronouncing Rune
ROO-nuh
Two syllables in Norwegian and Danish, ROO-neh. English speakers usually say ROON with one.
Nicknames for Rune
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
- 2001
- Most boys named
- 202590 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1778reached in 2025
- Change vs 2024
- +9.8%90 in 2025, from 82
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.
Rune in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Rune in Norwegian — same name
- Rune in Danish — same name
- Rune in Swedish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Washington, Ohio.
Runes among us
people named Rune are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 18,979 born in 2025 was named Rune
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 Zac test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Rune's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Zac climbed just as high around 2010, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Zac's path sketches the road Rune is walking now.
Rune is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Rune is headed
Rune looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 47% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
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.
Rune beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Rune in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The secret-before-letter etymology is a first-rate piece of word history.
- It is standard across Norwegian, Danish and Swedish naming.
- One syllable in English, firm and never mispronounced.
- The syllable count differs between Scandinavian and English readings.
- It is an ordinary English noun for a letter.
- It reads as distinctly Scandinavian.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Rune to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Rune
Masculine · #1778 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Runes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Rune are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rune in 2025?
- Rune ranks #1778 among US boy names in 2025, with 90 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Rune?
- About 1 in every 18,979 US boys born in 2025 was named Rune — 90 in all.
- Will my child share the name Rune with classmates?
- Rune will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Rune
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Haroon#1778 · Jamarion#1778 · Xion#1778 · Irving#1778 · Edrick#1778 · Xyleek#1778 · Marlin#1778 · Makhi#1778
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rune? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rune and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
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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