Total births
525,910
Girls' name · since 1914
Heather
Heather has 525,910 recorded births since 1914 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1975 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1342
- among girls today
- 525,910
- born since 1914
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
525,910 babies have been named Heather since 1914, making it today's #1342 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Heather has been recorded 525,910 times among girls since 1914, currently ranked #1342 nationally and more common than 92% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1914 to 2025.
- #1342 among girls today
- 525,910 born since 1914
- 1970s peak decade
- 92% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Heather is currently the #1342 girls' name in America, more common than 92% of girls - 525,910 born since 1914, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1342
- among girls today
- 525,910
- born since 1914
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Heather vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1342
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 92% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
39% of everyone ever named Heather was born in this single decade.
1975
Single peak year
24,301 babies were named Heather in 1975 - its busiest year on record.
How Heather compares
525,910 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Heather's all-time total is 1,377x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Heather | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 525,910 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 24,301 | 48 | 19,840 |
Heather's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Heather splits its recorded history at 1975: 75% of all births land in the more recent half, 25% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1917 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1975 peak of 24,301 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Heather at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1975
Current rank
#1,342
Active since
1914
Heather popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1914–2025
- Peak year (1975)
- 24,301
- Annual births at peak, across 112 years of records
Heather popularity over time - boys
1,477 total births recorded since 1962 (Heather as boys' name)
Heather by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Heather's strongest decade.
203,902 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Heather births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 13
1910s
13 births
- 1920s 27
1920s
27 births
- 1930s 434
1930s
434 births
- 1940s 1,841
1940s
1,841 births
- 1950s 5,550
1950s
5,550 births
- 1960s 32,705
1960s
32,705 births
- 1970s
1970s
203,902 births
- 1980s
1980s
191,852 births
- 1990s 71,626
1990s
71,626 births
- 2000s 13,996
2000s
13,996 births
- 2010s 2,941
2010s
2,941 births
- 2020s 1,023
2020s
1,023 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 203,902 births (39% of all-time use).
How Heather compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Heather's total volume
Heather vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Heather by state
Where Heather concentrates geographically, total births since 1914
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 47,787 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 30,621 | 5.8% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 29,774 | 5.7% |
| #4 | New York | | 28,877 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Texas | | 28,575 | 5.4% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 24,620 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 22,314 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Florida | | 21,216 | 4.0% |
California share of Heather's total US births 9.1%
Even split
47,787 of 525,910 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Heather appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Heather? ▼
525,910 babies have been named Heather since 1914. It currently ranks #1342 among girls. The peak year was 1975 with 24,301 births.
When was Heather most popular? ▼
Heather was most popular in the 1970s decade with 203,902 total births. The single peak year was 1975.
Where is Heather most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Heather are California (47,787 births), Ohio (30,621 births), Pennsylvania (29,774 births).
How long has the name Heather been used? ▼
Heather has been recorded in Social Security data since 1914, spanning 112 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Heather? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Heaven, Heavenly, Heavyn, Heavenlee, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Heather's data
- Heather's decade-level peak was the 1970s (203,902 total births); usage has since declined to 1,023 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Heathers (47,787 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Heather
Nearby Names Like Heather
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Heather
Heaven Girl
#476 30,361 births
Heavenly Girl
#1233 5,485 births
Heavyn Girl
#4964 910 births
Heavenlee Girl
#6285 825 births
Heavenleigh Girl
#10580 508 births
Compare Heather side by side: Heather vs Heaven Heather vs Heavenly Heather vs Heavyn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Heather
Carmella #1341
20,653 births · Peak 1922
Danae #1343
7,443 births · Peak 2001
Dua #1340
1,485 births · Peak 2025
Asiya #1344
2,623 births · Peak 2025
Addyson #1339
16,897 births · Peak 2010
Liah #1345
2,711 births · Peak 2018
Arwen #1338
3,299 births · Peak 2023
Amarah #1346
2,641 births · Peak 2019
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1914–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Heather: #1342 Girls' Name - 525,910 Births, Peak 1975." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/heather. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Heather draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.