Boy nameCurrently #2,482 in the USFalling
Herbert
HUR-bert//ˈhɜːrbərt//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19287 lettersStarts with H
Meaning & origin
Bright army
Herbert comes from the Germanic elements 'heri' (army) and 'berht' (bright), meaning 'bright army'. Popular in the early 20th century, it now has a distinctly old-fashioned, gentle character.
Herbert's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Herbert |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 424 |
| 1881 | 369 |
| 1882 | 431 |
| 1883 | 422 |
| 1884 | 421 |
| 1885 | 388 |
| 1886 | 400 |
| 1887 | 445 |
| 1888 | 485 |
| 1889 | 472 |
| 1890 | 467 |
| 1891 | 501 |
| 1892 | 513 |
| 1893 | 519 |
| 1894 | 590 |
| 1895 | 569 |
| 1896 | 635 |
| 1897 | 570 |
| 1898 | 716 |
| 1899 | 590 |
| 1900 | 751 |
| 1901 | 573 |
| 1902 | 615 |
| 1903 | 668 |
| 1904 | 680 |
| 1905 | 688 |
| 1906 | 694 |
| 1907 | 710 |
| 1908 | 765 |
| 1909 | 831 |
| 1910 | 886 |
| 1911 | 1,135 |
| 1912 | 2,248 |
| 1913 | 2,733 |
| 1914 | 3,267 |
| 1915 | 4,359 |
| 1916 | 4,479 |
| 1917 | 4,767 |
| 1918 | 5,148 |
| 1919 | 4,981 |
| 1920 | 5,268 |
| 1921 | 5,238 |
| 1922 | 5,066 |
| 1923 | 5,091 |
| 1924 | 5,149 |
| 1925 | 4,956 |
| 1926 | 4,980 |
| 1927 | 5,056 |
| 1928 | 8,113 |
| 1929 | 7,929 |
| 1930 | 5,722 |
| 1931 | 4,824 |
| 1932 | 4,399 |
| 1933 | 3,706 |
| 1934 | 3,612 |
| 1935 | 3,454 |
| 1936 | 3,136 |
| 1937 | 3,053 |
| 1938 | 3,029 |
| 1939 | 3,115 |
| 1940 | 2,891 |
| 1941 | 2,976 |
| 1942 | 3,119 |
| 1943 | 3,054 |
| 1944 | 2,782 |
| 1945 | 2,682 |
| 1946 | 2,828 |
| 1947 | 2,872 |
| 1948 | 2,882 |
| 1949 | 2,743 |
| 1950 | 2,629 |
| 1951 | 2,719 |
| 1952 | 2,672 |
| 1953 | 2,627 |
| 1954 | 2,603 |
| 1955 | 2,521 |
| 1956 | 2,405 |
| 1957 | 2,288 |
| 1958 | 2,092 |
| 1959 | 1,849 |
| 1960 | 1,796 |
| 1961 | 1,700 |
| 1962 | 1,595 |
| 1963 | 1,511 |
| 1964 | 1,401 |
| 1965 | 1,392 |
| 1966 | 1,168 |
| 1967 | 1,161 |
| 1968 | 1,056 |
| 1969 | 1,013 |
| 1970 | 1,040 |
| 1971 | 962 |
| 1972 | 809 |
| 1973 | 716 |
| 1974 | 684 |
| 1975 | 671 |
| 1976 | 632 |
| 1977 | 594 |
| 1978 | 573 |
| 1979 | 623 |
| 1980 | 573 |
| 1981 | 556 |
| 1982 | 520 |
| 1983 | 481 |
| 1984 | 437 |
| 1985 | 430 |
| 1986 | 387 |
| 1987 | 354 |
| 1988 | 400 |
| 1989 | 350 |
| 1990 | 349 |
| 1991 | 285 |
| 1992 | 307 |
| 1993 | 273 |
| 1994 | 235 |
| 1995 | 217 |
| 1996 | 204 |
| 1997 | 195 |
| 1998 | 193 |
| 1999 | 151 |
| 2000 | 157 |
| 2001 | 148 |
| 2002 | 161 |
| 2003 | 120 |
| 2004 | 109 |
| 2005 | 118 |
| 2006 | 113 |
| 2007 | 104 |
| 2008 | 110 |
| 2009 | 94 |
| 2010 | 99 |
| 2011 | 81 |
| 2012 | 72 |
| 2013 | 79 |
| 2014 | 75 |
| 2015 | 79 |
| 2016 | 80 |
| 2017 | 77 |
| 2018 | 71 |
| 2019 | 54 |
| 2020 | 59 |
| 2021 | 53 |
| 2022 | 64 |
| 2023 | 67 |
| 2024 | 55 |
Herbert through the decades
- Herbert peaked in 1928, when 8,113 babies were named Herbert in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Herbert has fallen 30% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Herbert currently ranks #2,482 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Herb
Variants & spellings
Heriberto
Famous people named Herbert
- Herbert Hoover — US president