girl's name
Summer
SUM-ər
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 125,514
the United States
#152
2025 births
Summer is a girl's name of Old English origin taken from the season, from sumor. It belongs to the small group of English word-names adopted in the twentieth century rather than inherited from any older naming tradition.
- Summer is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1998, when 2,558 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,680 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1918.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Summer over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 9 |
| 1940s | 5 |
| 1950s | 149 |
| 1960s | 384 |
| 1970s | 9,089 |
| 1980s | 12,227 |
| 1990s | 18,836 |
| 2000s | 22,238 |
| 2010s | 16,952 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 11,686 |
What Summer means
Summer means the season itself. The name carries the season's associations of warmth, brightness and abundance rather than any separate meaning, which is true of all the season names in use.
Where Summer comes from
Summer comes from the Old English sumor, from a Germanic root shared with the Dutch zomer and German Sommer, and ultimately from an Indo-European word for the warm half of the year. Its use as a given name is recent: word-names drawn from nature and the calendar became fashionable in the English-speaking world from the 1960s and 1970s, alongside Autumn, April, June and Sky. Of the four seasons, only Summer and Autumn are in real use as names — Winter and Spring have stayed rare in both our markets.
Summer in use
Our data shows Summer stable, peaking in 1998, at 109 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1918, well before the word-name wave, though it was barely used until the 1970s. Autumn sits directly above it at 108 — the two seasons separated by a single place, which is the sort of coincidence only a full ranking makes visible.
How popular is Summer?
In 2025, Summer was given to 1,973 babies in the United States, ranking #152 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Summer 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 Summer
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Summer also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Summer over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Summer
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.
Summer 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 Summer
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Summer — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Summer
What does the name Summer mean?
Summer is the season name, from the Old English sumor.
Is Summer a modern name?
As a given name, yes. Our records show it from 1918 but it was barely used until the word-name wave of the 1970s.
Are the other seasons used as names?
Autumn is well used, especially in America. Winter and Spring remain rare, and Summer is the clear leader in Britain.
How popular is the name Summer?
In 2025, Summer was given to 1,973 babies in the United States, ranking #152 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Summer a girl's or a boy's name?
Summer is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Summer?
Summer has 2 syllables.
When was Summer most popular?
Summer peaked in 1998, when 2,558 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Summer?
Summer is usually shortened to Summie and Sum.
Is Summer a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Summer currently ranks #96 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.