Mayer
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- MY-er
- Origin
- Hebrew
- US rank, 2025
- #1,886 for boys
Mayer is a boys' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “giving light”. In 2025 it ranked 1,886th for boys in the US (83 babies).
What does Mayer mean?
Hebrew: variant of Meir; also a German surname for a steward or farmer
“giving light”
Mayer Amschel Rothschild founded the Rothschild banking dynasty in 18th-century Frankfurt.
Is Mayer a girl's or a boy's name?
Mayer is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 9 girls and 83 boys in the US.
How popular is Mayer in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2022, with 6 boys.
Mayer in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6 | #3,219 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 5 | #3,655 |
| 2015 | 3 | #4,955 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 5 | #3,572 |
| 2011 | 4 | #3,986 |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 3 | #3,043 |
How popular is Mayer in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,886th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 83 about 1 in 21,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 15% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 83 boys in the US were named Mayer, making it the 1,886th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,833rd. Its busiest year was 2021, with 92 boys. It first appears in the records in 1912. 9 girls were also named Mayer in 2025 (10,104th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Mayer in the US since 1880 were born between 1983 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 10% of the babies named Mayer in the US were girls.
Mayer in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 83 | #1,886 |
| 2024 | 88 | #1,833 |
| 2023 | 88 | #1,817 |
| 2022 | 81 | #1,916 |
| 2021 | 92 | #1,750 |
| 2020 | 81 | #1,833 |
| 2019 | 70 | #2,061 |
| 2018 | 75 | #1,958 |
| 2017 | 60 | #2,216 |
| 2016 | 67 | #2,086 |
| 2015 | 61 | #2,212 |
| 2014 | 57 | #2,297 |
| 2013 | 55 | #2,298 |
| 2012 | 51 | #2,447 |
| 2011 | 51 | #2,436 |
| 2010 | 49 | #2,510 |
| 2009 | 48 | #2,584 |
| 2008 | 52 | #2,431 |
| 2007 | 37 | #3,088 |
| 2006 | 48 | #2,512 |
| 2005 | 43 | #2,563 |
| 2004 | 27 | #3,452 |
| 2003 | 34 | #2,843 |
| 2002 | 40 | #2,466 |
| 2001 | 28 | #3,138 |
| 2000 | 26 | #3,213 |
| 1999 | 26 | #3,099 |
| 1998 | 38 | #2,309 |
| 1997 | 31 | #2,542 |
| 1996 | 33 | #2,375 |
| 1995 | 27 | #2,680 |
| 1994 | 25 | #2,842 |
| 1993 | 22 | #3,036 |
| 1992 | 27 | #2,593 |
| 1991 | 18 | #3,319 |
| 1990 | 29 | #2,368 |
| 1989 | 23 | #2,684 |
| 1988 | 25 | #2,362 |
| 1987 | 19 | #2,721 |
| 1986 | 26 | #2,159 |
| 1985 | 22 | #2,356 |
| 1984 | 17 | #2,705 |
| 1983 | 18 | #2,576 |
| 1982 | 17 | #2,708 |
| 1981 | 26 | #2,037 |
| 1980 | 5 | #6,248 |
| 1979 | 10 | #3,808 |
| 1978 | 14 | #2,928 |
| 1977 | 15 | #2,790 |
| 1976 | 16 | #2,600 |
| 1975 | 10 | #3,426 |
| 1974 | 14 | #2,672 |
| 1973 | 14 | #2,604 |
| 1972 | 17 | #2,243 |
| 1971 | 7 | #3,961 |
| 1970 | 16 | #2,292 |
| 1969 | 8 | #3,313 |
| 1968 | 10 | #2,734 |
| 1967 | 6 | #3,557 |
| 1966 | 8 | #2,985 |
| 1965 | 5 | #3,928 |
| 1964 | 10 | #2,664 |
| 1963 | 10 | #2,672 |
| 1962 | 11 | #2,502 |
| 1961 | 17 | #1,996 |
| 1960 | 21 | #1,771 |
| 1959 | 18 | #1,915 |
| 1958 | 20 | #1,765 |
| 1957 | 15 | #2,092 |
| 1956 | 11 | #2,495 |
| 1955 | 6 | #3,503 |
| 1954 | 8 | #2,940 |
| 1953 | 11 | #2,390 |
| 1952 | 7 | #3,092 |
| 1951 | 18 | #1,773 |
| 1950 | 6 | #3,328 |
| 1949 | 7 | #3,018 |
| 1948 | 6 | #3,315 |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 8 | #2,689 |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 8 | #2,731 |
| 1942 | 7 | #2,939 |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 8 | #2,671 |
| 1939 | 5 | #3,479 |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 10 | #2,332 |
| 1936 | 8 | #2,628 |
| 1935 | 11 | #2,246 |
| 1934 | 5 | #3,677 |
| 1933 | 11 | #2,213 |
| 1932 | 5 | #3,774 |
| 1931 | 10 | #2,470 |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 8 | #2,978 |
| 1928 | 10 | #2,659 |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 13 | #2,302 |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 7 | #3,504 |
| 1923 | 5 | #4,236 |
| 1922 | 7 | #3,530 |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 7 | #3,488 |
| 1919 | 9 | #2,876 |
| 1918 | 7 | #3,367 |
| 1917 | 9 | #2,731 |
| 1916 | 7 | #3,176 |
| 1915 | 11 | #2,309 |
| 1914 | 6 | #2,914 |
| 1913 | 0 | – |
| 1912 | 5 | #2,543 |
Names like Mayer
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Asher, Noah, Ezra, Mason, Cooper, Jonah, Caleb, Jude, Luca, Isaac, Carter, Hunter
Names related to Mayer
More Hebrew names
Isabella, Elijah, James, Jack, Mia, Ava, Benjamin, Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Samuel, Elias, Mateo, Elsie, Levi, Eliana
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Mayer: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/mayer, updated 20 October 2026.