boy's name
Norman
NOR-mun
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 258,260
Ireland
#306
1992 births
Norman means a Northman — a Viking. The Normans were Norse settlers granted land in France who adopted French within four generations, then conquered England, so the name records one of history's fastest cultural switches.
- Norman is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1928, when 5,637 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 19,617 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Norman over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,235 |
| 1890s | 1,902 |
| 1900s | 3,199 |
| 1910s | 25,184 |
| 1920s | 49,765 |
| 1930s | 50,291 |
| 1940s | 42,357 |
| 1950s | 33,928 |
| 1960s | 22,932 |
| 1970s | 10,000 |
| 1980s | 5,901 |
| 1990s | 3,439 |
| 2000s | 2,071 |
| 2010s | 1,590 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 968 |
What Norman means
Norman means a Northman, or a man from the north. It described Scandinavians specifically, and then the French-speaking descendants of those who settled in Normandy.
Where Norman comes from
Norman is the Old English Norðmann, a Northman — used of Scandinavians generally, and then of the specific group who raided the Seine, were granted the land that became Normandy in 911, and within four generations had abandoned Norse for French. Their descendants took England in 1066, so the name marks a people who twice changed what they were within two centuries. It existed in England as a personal name before the Conquest, and its modern use as a given name is a nineteenth-century revival alongside Alfred, Edith, Harold and Ethel.
Norman in use
Norman peaked in the United States in 1928, when 5,637 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 1197th in the United States on 169 births, 2717th in England and Wales and 5292nd in France, across 258,260 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. It does not currently chart in Ireland or either British market outside England and Wales.
How popular is Norman?
In 2025, Norman was given to 169 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Norman is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Norman
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Norman also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Norman over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Norman
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Norman in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Norman
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Norman — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Norman
What does the name Norman mean?
A Northman — the Old English word for a Scandinavian.
Were the Normans Vikings?
Yes. Norse settlers granted land in France in 911, who had adopted French within four generations and took England in 1066.
Is Normandy named after them?
Yes — the land of the Northmen.
How popular is Norman?
1197th in the United States, and our data marks it stable.
Is Norman a girl's or a boy's name?
Norman is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Norman?
Norman has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Norman?
Norman is usually shortened to Norm.
Is Norman a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Norman currently ranks #1,197 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.