US rank #2469 Boys' name Peak 1928 228,211 births

Herbert — #2469 US boys' name

228,211 babies named Herbert in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1928. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s42571890s56601900s69571910s338601920s565311930s378211940s287081950s242961960s137021970s72481980s44631990s24092000s12342010s7672020s298
#2469
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 83% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

25% of everyone ever named Herbert was born in this single decade.

1928
Single peak year

8,065 babies were named Herbert in 1928 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Herbert

The Social Security Administration has registered 228,211 babies named Herbert between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Herbert currently holds the #2469 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1928, when 8,065 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Herbert performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 56,531 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Herbert shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 23,921 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Herbert in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Herbert in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 228,211 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Herbert at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

228,211

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1928

8,065 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#2,469

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Herbert popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1928)
8,065
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,0008,00010,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 424

Herbert popularity over time — girls

1,117 total births recorded since 1894 (Herbert as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 1,117 births
0102030405060 198719721961195119411931192119111894 5

Herbert by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
56,531 births that decade — 25% of Herbert's all-time total
1880s42571890s56601900s69571910s338601920s565311930s378211940s287081950s242961960s137021970s72481980s44631990s24092000s12342010s7672020s298

Herbert by state

Where Herbert concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Herbert
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
23,921 10.5%
#2 Pennsylvania
12,992 5.7%
#3 Illinois
10,126 4.4%
#4 Ohio
9,459 4.1%
#5 Texas
9,430 4.1%
#6 Virginia
7,926 3.5%
#7 North Carolina
7,760 3.4%
#8 California
7,547 3.3%
New York share of Herbert's total US births 10.5%
Even split

23,921 of 228,211 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Herbert appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Herbert?
228,211 babies have been named Herbert since 1880. It currently ranks #2469 among boys. The peak year was 1928 with 8,065 births.
When was Herbert most popular?
Herbert was most popular in the 1920s decade with 56,531 total births. The single peak year was 1928.
Where is Herbert most popular?
The top states for the name Herbert are New York (23,921 births), Pennsylvania (12,992 births), Illinois (10,126 births).
How long has the name Herbert been used?
Herbert has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Herbert?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Herman, Herschel, Hershel, Heriberto, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Herbert

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.