Usher is an English occupational surname for a "doorkeeper", from the Latin ostiarius through the Old French ussier, the official who kept the door of a court or hall. Singer Usher Raymond, known simply as Usher, has made it a first name in the public eye since the late 1990s. Usher ranked number 4771 in 2000, number 2287 in 2024 and reaches number 1974 in 2025, its best position so far.