Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Hunter

Hunter is the transferred use of an English surname derived from an occupation. In medieval England, men who were occupied as “hunters” pursued large game such as wild boar; a trade restricted to people of fairly high stature (lending some nobility to the name). However, the trade-surname could have also described one of lesser rank who hunted for birds or poached game for food in general. The word “hunter” is derived from the Olde English “hentan” which aptly meant “to seize, capture”. Hunter is a common surname within all English-speaking nations today; however, as a forename, Hunter is pretty distinct to North American (the U.S. and Canada) and Australia. Hunter follows a naming trend of other masculine-sounding English surnames derived from occupations like Archer, Cannon, Fisher, Gunner or Tanner.

All About the Baby Name – Hunter

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME HUNTER

The number Five personality loves the excitement of life and can easily adapt to all situations. As natural adventurers, these personalities thrive on the new and unexpected and prefer to be in constant motion. It makes them feel alive. They'll stir up some action if there's not enough around, and as inherent risk-takers they enjoy pushing the envelope. Naturally rebellious, the Five personality has no fear and never resists change.  Traveling and new experiences feed their souls. Fives are very social and attract friends with ease. People love to be around the Five fun-loving and exciting energy.  This is also a lucky number in numerology (like the Threes), so fortune seems to shine on them, helped along by their own optimism and good-nature. Fives have a quick wit, a cerebral mind, and are generally very persuasive. 

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME HUNTER

We were surprised to see that Hunter even ranked in the Top 1000 names for boys in America 100 years ago. The name feels so distinctly modern. Still, Hunter didn’t do much on the charts but linger in the lowlands until the late 1970s, perhaps influenced by the American journalist and author, Hunter S. Thompson (who wrote “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” in 1971). The book’s importance in American literature underscores its accurate representation of the 1960s, or as Thompson describes, a decade of “hysteria, insolence, insult and rot.” The name Hunter eventually achieved a position on America’s Top 100 list in 1993, and reached its peak at position #35 in the year 2000. The name is occasionally used for girls, but not enough to manage a spot in the Top 1000. Plus, it’ll be one of the harder “unisex” names for the baby girls of America to hijack as their own (as they have been known to do with many other androgynous names). Hunter feels way too masculine and is much more fitting for the boys.

Quick Facts

ON HUNTER

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

36

PRONUNCIATION:

HUHN-ter

SIMPLE MEANING:

One who hunts (to seize, capture)

Characteristics

OF HUNTER

Freedom-loving

Adventurous

Adaptable

Intellectual

Easygoing

Progressive

Sensual

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Hunter

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME HUNTER

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Hunter

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME HUNTER

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Hunter


Popular Songs

ON HUNTER

Hunter
a song by Bjork

Hunter and the Hunted
a song by Simple Minds

Lonely is the Hunter
a song by KISS

Orion - The Hunter
a song by Symphony X

Famous People

NAMED HUNTER

Hunter S. Thompson (author)
Hunter Johnson (composer)
Hunter Mahan (golfer)
Hunter Parrish (actor)
Hunter Tylo (actress)
Hunter S. Thompson (author)
Hunter Johnson (composer)
Hunter Mahan (golfer)
Hunter Parrish (actor)
Hunter Tylo (actress)
Hunter S. Thompson (author)
Hunter Johnson (composer)
Hunter Mahan (golfer)
Hunter Parrish (actor)
Hunter Tylo (actress)

Children of Famous People

NAMED HUNTER

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Hunter

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME HUNTER

Clementine Hunter was an important African-American folk artist/painter. Born in Louisiana just a couple decades after the Civil War, Clementine Hunter was the granddaughter of slaves. She grew up living and working on a plantation herself (Melrose Plantation), at first picking cotton before being called up to “The Big House” to do domestic chores. The plantation owner offered the main house to artists from New Orleans as a retreat. It was from these artists where Hunter found her inspiration (and her tools). Illiterate and uneducated, Clementine Hunter had a god-given, self-taught talent. She would take the discarded paints and brushes left by the visiting artists and “mark” her first picture on a window shade in her tiny cabin. Her works depicted early 20th century plantation life; the community of African-Americans who worked and lived together picking cotton, going to church, attending baptisms and such. Over 5,000 pieces have been attributed to her.