Boys' name · since 1908
Hercules
Hercules has 1,320 recorded births since 1908 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2023 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4,311 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,871 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,320
- born since 1908
- 1930s
- peak decade
Hercules currently ranks #4871 among boys' names in America, with 1,320 babies recorded since 1908.
Hercules has 1,320 recorded births among boys since 1908, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4871 as of the latest data, more common than 65% of boys, busiest in the 1930s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1908 to 2025.
- #4,311 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #4,871 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,320 born since 1908
- 1930s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hercules ranks #4,311 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,871 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,320 born since 1908, peaking in the 1930s.
- #4,311 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,871 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,320
- born since 1908
- 1930s
- peak decade
Hercules's 1,320 recorded births place it above 90.51% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
6 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by South Carolina.
How Hercules compares
1,320 Top 28% higher than 72% 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
Hercules's all-time total is 4x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Hercules | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,320 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 30 | 34 | 22,252 |
Hercules's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Hercules splits its recorded history at 1961: 40% of all births land in the more recent half, 60% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1910 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2023 peak of 30 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Hercules popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1908–2025
- Peak year (2023)
- 30
- Annual births at peak, across 118 years of records
Hercules by decade
1930s is the heaviest window (173 births, 13% of the file).
1930s was Hercules's strongest decade.
173 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 13% of all-time use.
Hercules births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 6
1900s
6 births
- 1910s
1910s
111 births
- 1920s
1920s
168 births
- 1930s
1930s
173 births
- 1940s
1940s
149 births
- 1950s
1950s
163 births
- 1960s
1960s
109 births
- 1970s 67
1970s
67 births
- 1980s 57
1980s
57 births
- 1990s 59
1990s
59 births
- 2000s 20
2000s
20 births
- 2010s
2010s
120 births
- 2020s
2020s
118 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 173 births (13% of all-time use).
How Hercules 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 Hercules's total volume
Hercules by state
Where Hercules concentrates geographically, total births since 1908
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | South Carolina | | 240 | 18.2% |
| #2 | California | | 13 | 1.0% |
| #3 | New York | | 10 | 0.8% |
| #4 | Hawaii | | 7 | 0.5% |
| #5 | Minnesota | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #6 | Texas | | 5 | 0.4% |
240 of 1,320 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 6 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Hercules? ▼
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When was Hercules most popular? ▼
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What to do with Hercules's data
- Hercules's usage has stayed within range of its 1930s decade-level peak (173 total births) through the 2020s (118) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- South Carolina records the most Herculess (240 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. South Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Hercules
Nearby Names Like Hercules
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Hercules
Compare Hercules side by side: Hercules vs Herbert Hercules vs Herman Hercules vs Herschel
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Hercules
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Hercules: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2023)
Similar record span (~117 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, 1908–2025 (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 Hercules 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.