Boys' name · since 1880
Herbert
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 228,266 babies named Herbert, peaking in 1928. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #169 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,641 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 228,266
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Herbert currently ranks #2641 among boys' names in America, with 228,266 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Herbert has been recorded 228,266 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #2641 nationally and more common than 81% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #169 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,641 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 228,266 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Herbert ranks #169 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,641 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 228,266 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #169 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,641 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 228,266
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Herbert's 228,266 recorded births place it above 99.62% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Herbert compares
228,266 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Herbert's all-time total is 619x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Herbert | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 228,266 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 8,065 | 34 | 22,252 |
Herbert's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Herbert's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 20% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 80%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2025, with only 49 births recorded -- set against the 1928 peak of 8,065, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Herbert popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1928)
- 8,065
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Herbert popularity over time - girls
1,117 total births recorded since 1894 (Herbert as girls' name)
Herbert by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (56,531 births, 25% of the file).
1920s was Herbert's strongest decade.
56,531 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Herbert births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 4,257
1880s
4,257 births
- 1890s 5,660
1890s
5,660 births
- 1900s 6,957
1900s
6,957 births
- 1910s
1910s
33,860 births
- 1920s
1920s
56,531 births
- 1930s
1930s
37,821 births
- 1940s
1940s
28,710 births
- 1950s
1950s
24,298 births
- 1960s 13,701
1960s
13,701 births
- 1970s 7,248
1970s
7,248 births
- 1980s 4,463
1980s
4,463 births
- 1990s 2,409
1990s
2,409 births
- 2000s 1,234
2000s
1,234 births
- 2010s 767
2010s
767 births
- 2020s 350
2020s
350 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 56,531 births (25% of all-time use).
How Herbert compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Herbert's total volume
Herbert by state
Where Herbert concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 23,920 | 10.5% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 12,993 | 5.7% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 10,126 | 4.4% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 9,459 | 4.1% |
| #5 | Texas | | 9,430 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Virginia | | 7,927 | 3.5% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 7,760 | 3.4% |
| #8 | California | | 7,547 | 3.3% |
23,920 of 228,266 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? ▼
Where does Herbert sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Herbert most popular? ▼
Where is Herbert most popular? ▼
How long has the name Herbert been used? ▼
What names are similar to Herbert? ▼
What to do with Herbert's data
- Herbert's decade-level peak was the 1920s (56,531 total births); usage has since declined to 350 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Herberts (23,920 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Herbert
Nearby Names Like Herbert
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Herbert
Compare Herbert side by side: Herbert vs Herman Herbert vs Herschel Herbert vs Hershel
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Herbert
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Herbert: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1928)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Herbert 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 August 2026.