Anselm

#8,303 in 2025Boys' name

God

Anselm has been given to 304 babies in the U.S. since 1912. In 2025 it ranked #8,303 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 2016, with 12 recorded.

Babies named Anselm, 2025

1 in 368,000

Anselm over time, 1880–2025

Boys

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Anselm: meaning, origin, and history

God

Germanic languages and Old High German

What Anselm means

Anselm means “god”, associated with ansuz.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From Proto-Germanic *ansuz (“god”) + Old High German hëlm (“helmet”).

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Anselm (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Anselm is used in English and German. Its origins include Germanic languages and Old High German.

Anselm comes through Proto-Germanic *ansuz and Old High German hëlm.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Anselm is pronounced /ˈænˌsɛlm/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 304 boys were recorded with the name Anselm between 1912 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 12 in 2016; its best national rank was #2,284 in 1912.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #7,536 in 2020 to #8,303 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #8,070 in 2015 to #8,303 in 2025.

How common is Anselm?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025: 1 in 368,000; 9 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only: 1 in 190,000; <0.01% of boys
Rank, 2025: #8,303; of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size: 255,323 kids; Even odds of a second one

Where Anselm sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%

Class of 30Under 1%

Grade of 100Under 1%

School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 255,323 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Anselm. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Anselms were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Anselm was born before 2003 — so the typical Anselm is around 22 today.

Median birth year: 2003; About 22 years old
Biggest decade: 2010s; 24.0% of all use
Born in the last 25 years: 51.6%; A modern name
Recorded since 1950: 197; People you could plausibly meet

Choose a decade

2010s — 24.0% of all recorded uses (73).

Is Anselm rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago: +1,665; Places climbed
Rank vs 5 years ago: −767; Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago: −233; Places dropped
Births vs 10 years ago: 1.00×; More babies than then
Share of its own peak: 75.0%; Peak was 2016 (12)
Years since peak: 9; Years
Year-to-year steadiness: Volatile; 30.8% average annual change
Best rank ever: #2,284; 1912

Spellings of Anselm

Anselm is not the most common spelling — Angel is, with 71.8% against Anselm's 0.08%.

Angel71.8%265,886
Angelo23.3%86,106
Ansel1.3%4,801
Hansel0.98%3,631
Anselmo0.74%2,748
Aksel0.69%2,561
Angela0.58%2,135
Anjel0.32%1,188

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Anselm around the world

Where Anselm ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

England & Wales
2008–2024
#5,120
in 2024
France
2008–2025
#4,102
in 2025
South Australia
1981–1981
#425
in 1981

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0.

Anselm by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025: #8,303
Trend vs 5 yrs ago: Down 767
Best rank ever: #2,284; 1912
Peak year: 2016; 12 that year
First recorded: 1912
Last recorded: 2025
All-time count: 304
Count in 2025: 9

Names similar to Anselm

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

Anshul Ansen Ansley Ansar Anselmo Ansh Ansel Wilhelm Anson Anshuman Ansil Anslem Ansony Anshel Ansem Ansell Ansara Anshu Ansumana Anselmi Ansor Ansu Anshveer

Sibling names for Anselm

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

For a sister

Karleigh Rhianna Kendyl Hayleigh Jaiden Shaniya Jazmyne Taniya

For a brother

Kale Hamilton Caesar Brennen Tobin Jerimiah Jorden Aaden

Explore around Anselm

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