Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Custer isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1904. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Custer through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 124
- 124 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1917
- 15 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1950. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 15 in 1917. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 10,159 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Custer, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Einer
“a leading warrior”
>99% boys
Caldwell
“of the cold well” · “from the cold spring”
>99% boys
Sumner
“a legal official; one who serves summons”
82% boys · 18% girls
Lester
“roman fort” · “a man from Leicester”
>99% boys
Gardner
“one who works the earth” · “the keeper of the garden”
97% boys · 3% girls
Wilber
“one who is willful; a bright man”
>99% boys
Homer
“a tomboyish woman” · “of the pledge; an epic poet”
>99% boys
Casimir
“one who demands peace”
>99% boys