Hatcher
One who hooks or snares fish or small animals.
Name Census estimates that about 590 living Americans carry the first name Hatcher. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hatcher today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hatcher births was 2021 (52 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hatcher. 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.
People living today
590
~ 1 in 580,940 Americans
Peak year
2021
52 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,538
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Hatcher: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hatcher from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 298 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hatcher remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hatcher 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 Hatcher during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hatchers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Alaska, Texas, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Hatcher, while Georgia, Tennessee, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hatcher
The name Hatcher is an English occupational surname that originated from the Old English word "hæcce," which means "hatch" or "gate." It was initially used to refer to someone who worked as a gatekeeper or a maker of hatches or gates. The name can be traced back to the early 13th century in England.
In terms of historical references, the name Hatcher is not found in any ancient texts, religious scriptures, or significant historical records from before the 13th century. However, there are several notable individuals who have borne this name throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Hatcher is William Hatcher, an English soldier who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War. Another early bearer of the name was John Hatcher, a 15th-century English priest and theologian who served as a rector in Gloucestershire.
Moving forward in time, a notable figure was Ely Hatcher (1834-1908), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri. Robert Hatcher (1865-1945) was an American inventor and firearms expert who developed several important innovations in ammunition design and ballistics.
In the field of literature, one of the most prominent individuals with the name Hatcher was Richard Hatcher (1929-2010), an American writer and academic who authored several novels and works of non-fiction, including "The Exploitation of Ivy" and "The Cult of Power."
Another noteworthy individual was Maynard Hatcher (1909-1979), an American football player and coach who played for the University of Tennessee and later served as the head coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies football team from 1949 to 1967.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the first name Hatcher who have left their mark in various fields throughout history, ranging from warfare and politics to literature, sports, and invention.
People
Hatcher + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hatcher 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
Hatcher: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hatcher?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 590 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hatcher 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 580,940 US residents.
Is Hatcher a common name?
We classify Hatcher as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 595 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hatcher most popular?
The single biggest year for Hatcher was 2021, when 52 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hatcher is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hatcher a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hatcher 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.