Fun Facts About the Name Gunther
- More than 1 thousand babies named Gunther: U.S. records list 1,103 babies given the name Gunther from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Gunther Mean?
Gunther is a masculine name of Germanic origin, recorded in Old High German as Gundahar. It comes from the older name Gundahar, a compound of gund "battle" and heri "army, host." Its literal sense is therefore "battle army" or "army in battle." The common gloss "battle warrior" is a looser interpretation; the second element heri denotes an army or host, not a single warrior. The Old Norse cognate Gunnarr, often anglicized as Gunnar, developed separately in Scandinavian naming.
Gunther Name History & Origins
The name goes back to the ancient Germanic name Gundahar, which appears in Old High German and in Latin sources as Gundaharius or Gundicarius. A notable early bearer was the Burgundian king Gundahar, who ruled in the early fifth century and died around 437 after conflict with Roman and Hunnic forces. His name belongs to the same Germanic heroic world that later shaped the Nibelungen legends.
In Middle High German literature, Gunther is the king of Burgundy in the Nibelungenlied, a brother of Kriemhild. The Old Norse tradition preserves the related form Gunnarr, who appears in the Poetic Edda and Völsunga saga. These literary figures are later than the historical Gundahar and belong to legend rather than to the name's earliest documentation.
The name remained in use in German-speaking lands through the Middle Ages and later. Modern German typically writes it Günther or Günter, while Gunther remains common in English and other non-German contexts. A medieval religious bearer was Saint Gunther, a tenth- and eleventh-century monk and hermit venerated in Bohemia. The name has also been used as a surname derived from the given name.
How Popular is the Name Gunther?
Gunther has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1995. Its best rank was #1,881 in 1931.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,466 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2024 | #4,457 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2023 | #7,906 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #5,511 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2021 | #4,825 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2020 | #4,317 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2019 | #5,650 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #4,992 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2017 | #4,805 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2016 | #5,001 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2015 | #4,017 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2014 | #5,329 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2013 | #6,023 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2012 | #4,590 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #5,284 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2010 | #7,242 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #6,953 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2008 | #8,533 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #5,512 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2006 | #5,886 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #4,696 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #4,660 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2003 | #4,496 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #4,377 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #4,559 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2000 | #4,876 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #2,963 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1998 | #2,956 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1997 | #2,637 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1996 | #2,960 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1995 | #2,418 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 1994 | #3,649 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1993 | #2,893 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1992 | #2,701 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 1991 | #3,886 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1990 | #4,255 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #4,952 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #4,557 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #4,066 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #4,604 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #4,858 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #5,846 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #4,271 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #5,141 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #5,614 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #6,148 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #4,781 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #4,600 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #5,505 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #3,298 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #2,894 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #3,472 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #2,965 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #2,352 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1968 | #2,243 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1967 | #3,703 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #2,171 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1965 | #2,408 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #2,150 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1962 | #2,738 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #3,486 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #4,226 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #3,688 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #2,899 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #3,693 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #2,649 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1942 | #3,782 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #3,289 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1940 | #2,975 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1939 | #3,263 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #2,548 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1936 | #3,314 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1934 | #2,063 | 13 | 0.0013% |
| 1933 | #3,118 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1932 | #2,722 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1931 | #1,881 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1930 | #2,669 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1929 | #1,890 | 17 | 0.0016% |
| 1928 | #2,091 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1927 | #3,270 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1926 | #3,905 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1925 | #4,496 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1924 | #4,618 | 5 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Gunther Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are introspective, prophetic, philosophical, and soul searching, but also can be analytical, critical and opinionated. You think deeply and clearly, have an air of mystery, can be solitary and secretive. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Gunther's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Gunther's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.