At a glance
- In short
- Tanner is an English occupational surname for a tanner of hides.
- U.S. rank 2025
- #475 of boy names
- Babies in 2025
- 641 (0.035% of boys)
- Trend
- Slipping #333 in 2020 to #475 in 2025
- Peak
- #82 in 1997–1998
- First recorded
- 1913
Meaning of Tanner
Tanner is an English occupational surname for someone who tanned animal hides to make leather. It comes from Old English tannere, meaning a tanner, and like many English surnames it has been adopted as a boy's first name. The word tan is linked to an old term for oak bark, which was used in tanning.
Well-known bearers include Boston Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck and American freeskier Tanner Hall.
In the U.S., Tanner was still uncommon in 1975, when it ranked 1,238th. It climbed quickly over the next two decades, peaking at 82nd in 1997 and 1998, with 4,704 boys given the name in 1998. It has generally declined since, and in 2025 it ranked 475th with 641 babies.
How to pronounce Tanner
English
- Pronounced TAN-er /ˈtænər/
Popularity of Tanner in the U.S.
Tanner was the #475 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 641 babies. It peaked at #82 in 1997–1998 and has been in the top 1,000 since 1976. It first appears in the records in 1913.
- Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 1913–2025 73 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 641 | 475 | ▼ 34 |
| 2024 | 714 | 441 | ▼ 9 |
| 2023 | 721 | 432 | ▼ 21 |
| 2022 | 784 | 411 | ▼ 52 |
| 2021 | 905 | 359 | ▼ 26 |
| 2020 | 980 | 333 | ▼ 5 |
| 2019 | 1,019 | 328 | ▼ 27 |
| 2018 | 1,142 | 301 | ▼ 29 |
| 2017 | 1,331 | 272 | ▼ 35 |
| 2016 | 1,605 | 237 | ▼ 13 |
| 2015 | 1,715 | 224 | ▼ 17 |
| 2014 | 1,866 | 207 | ▼ 10 |
| 2013 | 2,050 | 197 | ▼ 19 |
| 2012 | 2,182 | 178 | ▲ 4 |
| 2011 | 2,139 | 182 | ▼ 6 |
| 2010 | 2,136 | 176 | ▼ 17 |
| 2009 | 2,453 | 159 | ▲ 4 |
| 2008 | 2,419 | 163 | ▼ 13 |
| 2007 | 2,732 | 150 | ▼ 8 |
| 2006 | 2,867 | 142 | ▼ 11 |
| 2005 | 3,075 | 131 | ▼ 6 |
| 2004 | 3,232 | 125 | ▼ 5 |
| 2003 | 3,390 | 120 | ▼ 9 |
| 2002 | 3,446 | 111 | ▼ 10 |
| 2001 | 3,832 | 101 | ▼ 8 |
| 2000 | 4,235 | 93 | ▼ 6 |
| 1999 | 4,521 | 87 | ▼ 5 |
| 1998 | 4,704 | 82 | – |
| 1997 | 4,676 | 82 | ▲ 8 |
| 1996 | 4,180 | 90 | ▼ 4 |
| 1995 | 4,320 | 86 | ▲ 10 |
| 1994 | 3,923 | 96 | ▲ 2 |
| 1993 | 3,768 | 98 | ▲ 3 |
| 1992 | 3,641 | 101 | ▲ 40 |
| 1991 | 2,272 | 141 | ▲ 79 |
| 1990 | 1,387 | 220 | – |
| 1989 | 1,235 | 220 | ▲ 39 |
| 1988 | 906 | 259 | ▲ 41 |
| 1987 | 719 | 300 | ▲ 42 |
| 1986 | 561 | 342 | ▲ 17 |
| 1985 | 514 | 359 | ▲ 50 |
| 1984 | 407 | 409 | ▼ 2 |
| 1983 | 401 | 407 | ▲ 39 |
| 1982 | 362 | 446 | ▲ 58 |
| 1981 | 278 | 504 | ▼ 28 |
| 1980 | 311 | 476 | – |
| 1979 | 299 | 476 | ▲ 169 |
| 1978 | 169 | 645 | ▲ 128 |
| 1977 | 121 | 773 | ▲ 200 |
| 1976 | 73 | 973 | ▲ 265 |
| 1975 | 47 | 1,238 | ▲ 263 |
| 1974 | 34 | 1,501 | ▲ 281 |
| 1973 | 25 | 1,782 | ▲ 298 |
| 1972 | 19 | 2,080 | ▲ 478 |
| 1971 | 14 | 2,558 | ▼ 265 |
| 1970 | 16 | 2,293 | ▲ 1,021 |
| 1969 | 8 | 3,314 | ▼ 579 |
| 1968 | 10 | 2,735 | back (not recorded in 1967) |
| 1966 | 7 | 3,249 | back (not recorded in 1965) |
| 1964 | 5 | 4,039 | ▼ 1,366 |
| 1963 | 10 | 2,673 | ▲ 632 |
| 1962 | 7 | 3,305 | ▲ 347 |
| 1961 | 6 | 3,652 | back (not recorded in 1951–1960) |
| 1950 | 8 | 2,770 | back (not recorded in 1931–1949) |
| 1930 | 7 | 3,289 | back (not recorded in 1928–1929) |
| 1927 | 5 | 4,210 | back (not recorded in 1925–1926) |
| 1924 | 5 | 4,347 | back (not recorded in 1923) |
| 1922 | 6 | 3,872 | ▼ 3 |
| 1921 | 6 | 3,869 | back (not recorded in 1919–1920) |
| 1918 | 5 | 4,179 | back (not recorded in 1917) |
| 1916 | 5 | 3,897 | ▼ 72 |
| 1915 | 5 | 3,825 | back (not recorded in 1914) |
| 1913 | 6 | 2,496 | new |
Tanner by state
Tanner ranks #169 in New Hampshire (2025).
Rank by state 36 states
| State | Rank | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 169 | 8 |
| West Virginia | 227 | 8 |
| Mississippi | 312 | 10 |
| Utah | 316 | 15 |
| Wisconsin | 317 | 17 |
| Pennsylvania | 324 | 34 |
| Idaho | 332 | 7 |
| Louisiana | 337 | 15 |
| Kentucky | 345 | 14 |
| Missouri | 368 | 17 |
| Tennessee | 372 | 22 |
| Oregon | 378 | 10 |
| South Carolina | 385 | 13 |
| Michigan | 393 | 22 |
| Ohio | 395 | 27 |
| North Carolina | 398 | 28 |
| Virginia | 408 | 19 |
| Oklahoma | 426 | 10 |
| Indiana | 431 | 16 |
| Florida | 433 | 44 |
| Connecticut | 440 | 6 |
| Minnesota | 477 | 11 |
| Alabama | 484 | 10 |
| Illinois | 485 | 21 |
| New Jersey | 488 | 15 |
| Arkansas | 489 | 6 |
| Georgia | 499 | 21 |
| Massachusetts | 507 | 9 |
| Nevada | 516 | 5 |
| New York | 527 | 30 |
| Washington | 529 | 13 |
| Maryland | 571 | 8 |
| Arizona | 594 | 11 |
| Colorado | 626 | 8 |
| California | 643 | 43 |
| Texas | 749 | 36 |
Notable people named Tanner
- Tanner Smith was an early 20th century New York City gang leader who founded the Marginals, allied with Owney Madden and the Gophers, and was killed in 1919.
- Tanner Houck is an American right handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, drafted 24th overall in 2017.
- Tanner Sean Gray is an American NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver and the youngest in NHRA history to win both a national event and a season title.
- Tanner Mangum is an American former BYU Cougars quarterback.
- Tanner Hall is an American freeskier.
More people named Tanner 4 more
- Lowell Tanner Burns is an American pitcher in the Cleveland Guardians organization who was drafted 36th overall by the Cleveland Indians in 2020.
- Tanner Morgan is an American former professional quarterback who played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
- Tanner Jeremie McKee is an American NFL quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles who played at Stanford and was a sixth round pick in 2023.
- Tanner Emmanuel Buchanan is an American actor best known for playing Leo Kirkman on Designated Survivor and Robby Keene on Cobra Kai.