# Palmer (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/palmer/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys and girls |
| Origin | French |
| Meaning | “a pilgrim from the holy land” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈpɑmɚ/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 18,653 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 9,264 / 9,389 (50% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 109, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Middle English palmer (“a pilgrim from the Holy Land”), from Old French.

## What it means

Palmer is grouped under earth.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 67 | 2,658 |
| 2012 | 138 | 1,581 |
| 2013 | 132 | 1,629 |
| 2014 | 173 | 1,355 |
| 2015 | 177 | 1,348 |
| 2016 | 241 | 1,080 |
| 2017 | 247 | 1,044 |
| 2018 | 433 | 675 |
| 2019 | 675 | 461 |
| 2020 | 888 | 348 |
| 2021 | 996 | 330 |
| 2022 | 1,075 | 295 |
| 2023 | 1,133 | 277 |
| 2024 | 1,224 | 258 |
| 2025 | 1,330 | 232 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 94 | 1,631 |
| 2012 | 114 | 1,456 |
| 2013 | 114 | 1,456 |
| 2014 | 112 | 1,464 |
| 2015 | 137 | 1,301 |
| 2016 | 133 | 1,345 |
| 2017 | 179 | 1,094 |
| 2018 | 172 | 1,125 |
| 2019 | 165 | 1,176 |
| 2020 | 163 | 1,188 |
| 2021 | 222 | 989 |
| 2022 | 200 | 1,091 |
| 2023 | 240 | 945 |
| 2024 | 202 | 1,079 |
| 2025 | 230 | 995 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 5,785 |
| 2017 | 3 | 5,765 |
| 2018 | 3 | 5,666 |
| 2020 | 3 | 5,493 |
| 2021 | 3 | 5,581 |
| 2022 | 7 | 3,148 |
| 2023 | 11 | 2,346 |
| 2024 | 18 | 1,672 |
| 2025 | 20 | 1,512 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3 | 4,812 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4,107 |
| 2024 | 14 | 1,758 |
| 2025 | 17 | 1,538 |

## People named Palmer

- Palmer Luckey, American founder of Oculus VR and inventor of the Oculus Rift
- Palmer Cox, Canadian illustrator and author (1840–1924)
- E. P. Thompson, British historian & peace activist (1924-1993)
- Manly P. Hall, Canadian writer and mystic (1901–1990)
- CGP Grey, American educational YouTuber and podcaster
- Lowell Weicker, American politician (1931–2023)
- Selden P. Spencer, American politician (1862–1925)
- George P. Putnam, American publisher, author, and explorer (1887-1950)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.