Boys' name · since 1916

Heron

686 babies named Heron in U.S. Social Security records since 1916, with the highest year being 2024. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#6,529 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#5,641 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
686
born since 1916
2000s
peak decade

Yes -- Heron is the #5641 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 686 recorded since 1916.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Heron has been recorded 686 times among boys since 1916, currently ranked #5641 nationally and more common than 60% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1916 to 2025.

  • #6,529 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #5,641 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 686 born since 1916
  • 2000s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Heron ranks #6,529 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,641 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 686 born since 1916, peaking in the 2000s.

#6,529 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#5,641 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
686
born since 1916
2000s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%59.5%
Heron vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Heron's 686 recorded births place it above 85.63% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

2 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by Texas.

How Heron compares

686 Top 38% higher than 62% 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

Heron's all-time total is 86% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Heron Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 686 369 358,536
Peak-year births 24 34 22,252

Heron's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Heron splits its recorded history at 1990: 66% of all births land in the more recent half, 34% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1930 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2024 peak of 24 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Heron popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1916–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2024)
24
Annual births at peak, across 110 years of records
0510152025 191619461972198219922002201120202025 16

Heron popularity over time - girls

16 total births recorded since 2011 (Heron as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 16 births
4.555.566.5 201120192023 5

Heron by decade

2000s is the heaviest window (131 births, 19% of the file).

2000s was Heron's strongest decade.

131 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.

Heron births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2000s at 131 births (19% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Heron 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 Heron's total volume

Heron vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -114, 2.9%-50, 4.5%-39, 9.6%-29, 7.3%-32, 8.4%-77, 3.9%-146, 3.6%-84, 2.8%-140, 2.9%-113, 2.3%-50, 3.6%-68, 4.4%-45, 4.4%-114, 17.6%-35, 9.6%Heron-110, 3.5%Heron
Heron vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Heron by state

Where Heron concentrates geographically, total births since 1916

Geographically diffuse
Top 2 states by recorded births for the name Heron
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
84 12.2%
#2 California
13 1.9%
Texas share of Heron's total US births 12.2%
Even split

84 of 686 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Heron? ▼
686 babies have been named Heron since 1916. All-time, it sits at #6,529 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #5,641 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 2024 with 24 births.
Where does Heron sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Heron ranks #6,529 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,641 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Heron most popular? ▼
Heron was most popular in the 2000s decade with 131 total births. The single peak year was 2024.
Where is Heron most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Heron are Texas (84 births), California (13 births).
How long has the name Heron been used? ▼
Records for Heron go back to 1916, giving 110 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Heron? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Herbert, Herman, Herschel, Hershel, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Heron's data

  • Heron's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (131 total births) through the 2020s (112) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • Texas records the most Herons (84 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Heron

Nearby Names Like Heron

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Heron

Herbert Boy
#2641 228,266 births
Herman Boy
#2363 135,977 births
Herschel Boy
#3384 10,674 births
Hershel Boy
#2676 10,329 births
Heriberto Boy
#3048 10,266 births

Compare Heron side by side: Heron vs Herbert Heron vs Herman Heron vs Herschel

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Heron

Orest #5640
310 births · Peak 1952
Arel #5642
306 births · Peak 2025
Derwin #5639
3,833 births · Peak 1958
Homero #5643
3,763 births · Peak 1994
Fraser #5638
551 births · Peak 2024
Vale #5644
199 births · Peak 2025
Miron #5637
480 births · Peak 2017
Ronal #5645
1,541 births · Peak 1939

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Heron: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1916–2025 (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 Heron 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.