Halbert
A German masculine name derived from the Old German elements "haal" meaning wholesome and "berht" meaning bright or brilliant.
Name Census estimates that about 499 living Americans carry the first name Halbert. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Halbert today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Halbert births was 1923 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Halbert. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Halbert is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Halberts were born before 1970.
People living today
499
~ 1 in 686,882 Americans
Peak year
1923
29 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1995 SSA rank
#9,357
Tracked since 1881
Popularity
Halbert: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Halbert from the 1880s through to the 1990s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 214 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Halbert by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Halbert during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Halberts live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, North Carolina, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Halbert, while Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Halbert
The name Halbert originates from the Germanic language and is derived from the root words "hal" meaning "healthy" and "berht" meaning "bright" or "famous." It dates back to the Medieval period and was initially used in regions such as Germany, France, and England.
One of the earliest known references to the name Halbert can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals documenting the history of the Anglo-Saxons from the 9th to the 12th centuries. The name is mentioned in an entry from the year 1066, describing a warrior who fought in the Norman Conquest of England.
The first recorded instance of the name Halbert belongs to Halbert of Bury St Edmunds, an English Benedictine monk and historian who lived from around 1135 to 1212. He is known for his work "Imaginationes de Sancto Edmundo," a collection of stories about the life and miracles of St. Edmund, the patron saint of England.
In the 13th century, Halbert de Guildford, born around 1245, was a prominent English landowner and knight who served under King Edward I. He played a significant role in the Welsh Wars and the Scottish Wars of Independence.
During the Renaissance period, Halbert Goffey (1531-1615) was a renowned Dutch painter known for his portraits and religious works. His art can be found in various museums and galleries across Europe.
In the 17th century, Halbert Greaves (1611-1676) was an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of optics and the development of telescopes. He served as the Savilian Professor of Astronomy at the University of Oxford.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Halbert. While the name has its roots in the Germanic language, it has been used across various cultures and regions over the centuries, reflecting its enduring appeal and historical significance.
People
Halbert + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Halbert as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Halbert: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Halbert?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 499 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Halbert going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 686,882 US residents.
Is Halbert a common name?
We classify Halbert as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,137 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Halbert most popular?
The single biggest year for Halbert was 1923, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Halbert is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Halbert a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Halbert in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.