Boys' name · since 1880
Herschel
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 10,674 babies named Herschel, peaking in 1921. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,161 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,384 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,674
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Herschel is the #3384 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 10,674 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Herschel recorded 10,674 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #3384 nationally today, ahead of 76% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,161 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,384 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 10,674 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Herschel ranks #1,161 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,384 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 10,674 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,161 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,384 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,674
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Herschel's 10,674 recorded births place it above 97.44% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
27 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Indiana.
How Herschel compares
10,674 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Herschel's all-time total is 29x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Herschel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 10,674 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 277 | 34 | 22,252 |
Herschel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Herschel splits its recorded history at 1953: 27% of all births land in the more recent half, 73% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1881 (8 births) -- compare that against the 1921 peak of 277 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Herschel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 277
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Herschel by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (2,258 births, 21% of the file).
1920s was Herschel's strongest decade.
2,258 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Herschel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 150
1880s
150 births
- 1890s 262
1890s
262 births
- 1900s 359
1900s
359 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,701 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,258 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,476 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,296 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,012 births
- 1960s 591
1960s
591 births
- 1970s 376
1970s
376 births
- 1980s 402
1980s
402 births
- 1990s 262
1990s
262 births
- 2000s 144
2000s
144 births
- 2010s 204
2010s
204 births
- 2020s 181
2020s
181 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,258 births (21% of all-time use).
How Herschel 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 Herschel's total volume
Herschel by state
Where Herschel concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Indiana | | 742 | 7.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 704 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 692 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 679 | 6.4% |
| #5 | Missouri | | 522 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Kentucky | | 481 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 448 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 394 | 3.7% |
742 of 10,674 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 27 reporting states.
Herschel appears in 27 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Herschel? ▼
Where does Herschel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Herschel most popular? ▼
Where is Herschel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Herschel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Herschel? ▼
What to do with Herschel's data
- Herschel's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,258 total births); usage has since declined to 181 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Indiana records the most Herschels (742 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Indiana names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Herschel
Nearby Names Like Herschel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Herschel
Compare Herschel side by side: Herschel vs Herbert Herschel vs Herman Herschel vs Hershel
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Herschel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Herschel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
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 Herschel 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.