Warner is a name of English origin that has been used for both boys and girls in recent years. It is derived from the surname Warner, which was an occupational name given to someone who worked as a weaver or dyer. The name comes from the Middle English word "warnere," which means "dyer."
The meaning of the name Warner is associated with its occupational origins. It translates to "dye-giver" or "one who dyes cloth." This name has been popular throughout history, particularly in English-speaking countries such as England, Australia, and the United States.
One of the earliest known uses of the name Warner can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a great survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror. In it, a certain Robert Warner is listed as holding lands in Buckinghamshire. Throughout the centuries, variations of the name have appeared in historical records, including Warner, Warren, and Wariner.
In literature, the name Warner has been used by several authors. It is the last name of one of the characters in Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," Tom Sawyer's friend Tom Warner. More recently, J.K. Rowling used the name Newt Scamander Warner for one of her characters in the Harry Potter series.
In popular culture, notable individuals with the surname Warner include David Warner, an English actor known for his roles in films such as "The Omen" and "Titanic," and Curt Warner, a former American football player who won the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.
The name Warner has been given to babies in the United States for several decades, with a total of 65 recorded births over time. The earliest birth was reported in 1929 with six newborns sharing this distinctive name. After that, there were intervals where no births were recorded before seeing another spike in popularity.
The year 1936 saw five Warner babies born, followed by another period of fluctuation until the late 1940s and early 1950s when the name started to regain traction among parents. Between 1945 and 1955, there were consistently five births each year.
Interestingly, from 1956 onwards, we observe a consistent pattern of seven births per year for just one year before returning back down to five births annually. This trend persists until recent years where we see another peak in popularity in 2019 with six Warner babies born followed by a return to five births in 2023.
These statistics demonstrate that while the name Warner may not have been extremely popular throughout history, it has maintained a consistent presence among baby names in the United States. Parents continue to choose this name for their newborns even today, contributing to its enduring legacy within American culture and naming trends.