Herbert
Herbert was given to 49 boys in 2025, #2,656 among boys’ names; 229,383 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 59,400 Americans named Herbert and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (26% of everyone recorded); the median is 69 years old and half are between 56 and 78.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Herbert by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Herbert mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Herbert is “a male given name from the Germanic languages, in modern use partly transferred back from the surname.”
From Old French Herbert, from Frankish *Hariberht.
/ˈhɝbɚt/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Herbert?
#2,656 among boys’ names, 2025
Herbert fell from #1,858 in 2015 to #2,656 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 41.2 to 28.7 per million.
8,113 babies in 1928, the peak
Herbert peaked in 1928, when 8,113 babies were given it (8,065 boys, #25 among boys’ names). The 49 births of 2025 are under 1% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 49 | #2,656 | 0.03 |
| 2024 | 56 | #2,456 | 0.03 |
| 2023 | 68 | #2,135 | 0.04 |
| 2022 | 65 | #2,223 | 0.04 |
| 2021 | 53 | #2,508 | 0.03 |
| 2020 | 59 | #2,303 | 0.03 |
| 2019 | 54 | #2,469 | 0.03 |
| 2018 | 71 | #2,036 | 0.04 |
| 2017 | 77 | #1,887 | 0.04 |
| 2016 | 80 | #1,867 | 0.04 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 79 | #1,858 | 0.04 |
| 2014 | 75 | #1,930 | 0.04 |
| 2013 | 79 | #1,816 | 0.04 |
| 2012 | 72 | #1,968 | 0.04 |
| 2011 | 81 | #1,785 | 0.04 |
| 2010 | 99 | #1,591 | 0.05 |
| 2009 | 94 | #1,673 | 0.05 |
| 2008 | 110 | #1,484 | 0.05 |
| 2007 | 104 | #1,519 | 0.05 |
| 2006 | 113 | #1,405 | 0.05 |
| 2005 | 118 | #1,296 | 0.06 |
| 2004 | 109 | #1,344 | 0.05 |
| 2003 | 120 | #1,221 | 0.06 |
| 2002 | 161 | #977 | 0.08 |
| 2001 | 148 | #1,010 | 0.08 |
| 2000 | 157 | #964 | 0.08 |
| 1999 | 151 | #956 | 0.08 |
| 1998 | 193 | #792 | 0.10 |
| 1997 | 195 | #761 | 0.10 |
| 1996 | 204 | #743 | 0.11 |
| 1995 | 217 | #722 | 0.11 |
| 1994 | 235 | #673 | 0.12 |
| 1993 | 273 | #622 | 0.14 |
| 1992 | 307 | #584 | 0.15 |
| 1991 | 285 | #602 | 0.14 |
| 1990 | 349 | #528 | 0.17 |
| 1989 | 350 | #511 | 0.17 |
| 1988 | 400 | #450 | 0.21 |
| 1987 | 349 | #475 | 0.19 |
| 1986 | 382 | #439 | 0.21 |
| 1985 | 430 | #410 | 0.23 |
| 1984 | 437 | #391 | 0.24 |
| 1983 | 481 | #363 | 0.27 |
| 1982 | 515 | #355 | 0.28 |
| 1981 | 551 | #336 | 0.31 |
| 1980 | 568 | #331 | 0.32 |
| 1979 | 617 | #313 | 0.36 |
| 1978 | 568 | #313 | 0.35 |
| 1977 | 587 | #317 | 0.36 |
| 1976 | 632 | #295 | 0.40 |
| 1975 | 671 | #287 | 0.43 |
| 1974 | 677 | #277 | 0.43 |
| 1973 | 707 | #267 | 0.45 |
| 1972 | 804 | #252 | 0.50 |
| 1971 | 951 | #241 | 0.54 |
| 1970 | 1,034 | #230 | 0.56 |
| 1969 | 1,008 | #227 | 0.56 |
| 1968 | 1,056 | #217 | 0.61 |
| 1967 | 1,152 | #201 | 0.66 |
| 1966 | 1,159 | #203 | 0.65 |
| 1965 | 1,380 | #183 | 0.74 |
| 1964 | 1,392 | #201 | 0.70 |
| 1963 | 1,504 | #196 | 0.74 |
| 1962 | 1,580 | #190 | 0.76 |
| 1961 | 1,688 | #181 | 0.79 |
| 1960 | 1,782 | #176 | 0.84 |
| 1959 | 1,844 | #169 | 0.86 |
| 1958 | 2,087 | #157 | 1.0 |
| 1957 | 2,278 | #151 | 1.1 |
| 1956 | 2,397 | #137 | 1.1 |
| 1955 | 2,504 | #129 | 1.2 |
| 1954 | 2,591 | #128 | 1.3 |
| 1953 | 2,617 | #125 | 1.3 |
| 1952 | 2,656 | #115 | 1.4 |
| 1951 | 2,703 | #112 | 1.4 |
| 1950 | 2,621 | #112 | 1.5 |
| 1949 | 2,731 | #107 | 1.5 |
| 1948 | 2,872 | #103 | 1.6 |
| 1947 | 2,856 | #104 | 1.6 |
| 1946 | 2,818 | #97 | 1.7 |
| 1945 | 2,664 | #94 | 2.0 |
| 1944 | 2,773 | #90 | 2.0 |
| 1943 | 3,044 | #86 | 2.1 |
| 1942 | 3,113 | #83 | 2.3 |
| 1941 | 2,964 | #76 | 2.4 |
| 1940 | 2,875 | #75 | 2.5 |
| 1939 | 3,097 | #68 | 2.8 |
| 1938 | 3,014 | #68 | 2.7 |
| 1937 | 3,040 | #65 | 2.9 |
| 1936 | 3,117 | #62 | 3.0 |
| 1935 | 3,437 | #58 | 3.3 |
| 1934 | 3,600 | #57 | 3.5 |
| 1933 | 3,685 | #49 | 3.7 |
| 1932 | 4,368 | #44 | 4.2 |
| 1931 | 4,788 | #41 | 4.6 |
| 1930 | 5,675 | #35 | 5.2 |
| 1929 | 7,881 | #25 | 7.3 |
| 1928 | 8,065 | #25 | 7.3 |
| 1927 | 5,017 | #42 | 4.5 |
| 1926 | 4,939 | #44 | 4.4 |
| 1925 | 4,924 | #42 | 4.4 |
| 1924 | 5,121 | #41 | 4.5 |
| 1923 | 5,071 | #40 | 4.6 |
| 1922 | 5,047 | #40 | 4.6 |
| 1921 | 5,217 | #42 | 4.7 |
| 1920 | 5,249 | #41 | 4.9 |
| 1919 | 4,960 | #40 | 5.1 |
| 1918 | 5,128 | #40 | 5.1 |
| 1917 | 4,745 | #40 | 5.1 |
| 1916 | 4,463 | #40 | 5.0 |
| 1915 | 4,341 | #40 | 5.1 |
| 1914 | 3,253 | #42 | 5.0 |
| 1913 | 2,723 | #39 | 5.3 |
| 1912 | 2,236 | #39 | 5.2 |
| 1911 | 1,125 | #41 | 5.0 |
| 1910 | 886 | #41 | 4.6 |
| 1909 | 831 | #37 | 5.1 |
| 1908 | 759 | #36 | 4.9 |
| 1907 | 710 | #39 | 4.8 |
| 1906 | 689 | #37 | 5.2 |
| 1905 | 681 | #37 | 5.1 |
| 1904 | 680 | #37 | 5.3 |
| 1903 | 668 | #34 | 5.6 |
| 1902 | 615 | #36 | 5.0 |
| 1901 | 573 | #35 | 5.4 |
| 1900 | 751 | #36 | 5.0 |
| 1899 | 590 | #33 | 5.6 |
| 1898 | 716 | #34 | 5.8 |
| 1897 | 565 | #35 | 5.0 |
| 1896 | 635 | #34 | 5.3 |
| 1895 | 569 | #36 | 4.8 |
| 1894 | 585 | #36 | 5.1 |
| 1893 | 519 | #41 | 4.6 |
| 1892 | 513 | #43 | 4.2 |
| 1891 | 501 | #38 | 5.0 |
| 1890 | 467 | #42 | 4.2 |
| 1889 | 472 | #42 | 4.3 |
| 1888 | 485 | #43 | 4.0 |
| 1887 | 445 | #41 | 4.4 |
| 1886 | 400 | #46 | 3.6 |
| 1885 | 388 | #45 | 3.6 |
| 1884 | 421 | #46 | 3.7 |
| 1883 | 422 | #41 | 4.0 |
| 1882 | 431 | #40 | 3.8 |
| 1881 | 369 | #40 | 3.7 |
| 1880 | 424 | #38 | 3.8 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Herbert a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Herbert has been given almost only to boys: 1,117 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Herbert: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Herbert, and how old are they?
59,400 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 26% of the 229,383 Americans ever recorded as Herbert. The median Herbert alive today is 69 years old; half are between 56 and 78.
The 2020 Census counted 71,489 people named Herbert (116 women and girls, 71,373 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 75,193 born in the U.S. The Census count is 5% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 11,000 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 28,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 11,900 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 5,480 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,990 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 859 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Herbert born?
The states with the most babies named Herbert are New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois, with 23% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 23,925 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Pennsylvania | 12,999 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Illinois | 10,126 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 9,467 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Texas | 9,435 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Virginia | 7,927 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| North Carolina | 7,767 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| California | 7,547 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| New Jersey | 6,670 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Michigan | 6,665 | not ranked | 0.8× |
Where Herbert is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Herbert is most over-represented in Hawaii: since 1910 it was given 1.9 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Herbert with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Herbert
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Herbert and names like it
- Compare Herbert and FloydBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sHerbert peaked in 1928.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Herbert since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Herbert: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1928The year the most babies were named Herbert.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Herbert alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with HMost given first.