Holding steady, #8,910 for boys today.
Popularity of Kramer since 1916
Babies named Kramer per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 |
| 1920s | 0 |
| 1930s | 0 |
| 1940s | 0 |
| 1950s | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 125 |
| 1990s | 336 |
| 2000s | 28 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 14 |
Meaning & origin
Kramer is a German surname turned given name, originally an occupational name for a shopkeeper. It first appeared in U.S. records in 1916, but its usage has remained rare. The name peaked in popularity in 1989, likely influenced by the character Cosmo Kramer from the sitcom Seinfeld, which debuted that year. In 2025, it ranked 8,910 nationally, with only about 1 in 213,510 boys receiving the name. The trajectory has been stable in recent years, and it has not been recorded in any top states, indicating its spread across a wide geographic area without clustering. Despite its rarity, Kramer retains a familiar sound due to its surname style and the iconic TV character.
Kramer is a German and Dutch occupational surname for a shopkeeper or peddler, derived from Middle Low German 'kramer' and Middle High German 'kram' meaning 'trading post' or 'booth'. It was brought to the United States by German immigrants in the 18th and 19th centuries and later adopted as a given name, partly influenced by the character Cosmo Kramer on the American television show Seinfeld (1989-1998).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Kram
Variants: Cramer, Krammer
Sibling names for Kramer
Names that share Kramer's style, for a brother or sister.
