Given name & surname
Warner
“of the defending army”
Warner is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “of the defending army.”
Original GermanWerner
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “of the defending army.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Warner through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 8,633
- 8,554 boys · 79 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 167 babies
- 2025
- 144
- #1,365 for boys · #13,110 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +20%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 137 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,365 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 19.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 167 in 1921. It also appeared in 7 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,082 as a first name in 2020; 80,118 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.
Warner’s family of names
In English usage, Warner shares a linguistic root with the Finnish form Verneri. In German usage, Warner has a related form in Werner. In English usage, Warner has a conventional equivalent in the German form Werner.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Warner
- Warner BaxterAmerican actor (1889–1951)
- Warner OlandSwedish-American actor (1879–1938)
- Warner HahnSurinamese association football playerborn 1992
- Warner AndersonAmerican actor (1911–1976)
- Warner T. KoiterDutch mechanical engineer and Professor of Applied Mechanics (1914-1997)
- Warner MillerUnion Army officer (1838–1918)
- Warner Richmondactor (1886-1948)
- Warner MackAmerican musician (1938–2022)
- Max CordenAustralian economist (1927–2023)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Warner, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Wilmer
“a strong-willed and wellknown man”
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Warren
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Luther
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“one who binds books; a scribe”
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Harland
“an athletic woman” · “from the army”
95% boys · 5% girls
Casimir
“one who demands peace”
>99% boys