Palmer is an English surname that means "pilgrim" or "palm bearer": in the Middle Ages a palmer was a pilgrim who brought a palm frond home from the Holy Land as proof of the journey. As a first name it joins the wave of surnames such as Collins and Sutton that American parents now give to girls. Palmer entered the US top 1000 for girls in 2018, climbed from number 1348 in 2015 and reached number 232 in 2025, its highest rank so far.