Hatty
A diminutive of Harriet, a feminine name meaning "estate ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Hatty. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hatty today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hatty births was 1928 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hatty. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hatty. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
1928
7 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2012 SSA rank
#17,828
Tracked since 1892
Popularity
Hatty: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hatty from the 1890s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 18 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
Hatty 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 Hatty during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hatty
The name Hatty is believed to have its origins in the Old English language, where it was a diminutive form of the name Harriet, which itself derived from the Germanic name Henriette. Harriet is thought to be a feminine form of the name Henry, which comes from the Germanic name Heimrich, meaning "home ruler."
The earliest recorded use of the name Hatty can be traced back to the 16th century, where it was commonly used as a nickname or pet form of Harriet. It gained popularity in England and other parts of the British Isles during this time period.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Hatty was Hatty Peregrine, an English actress who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. She was a member of the King's Men, an acting company that performed many of Shakespeare's plays.
In the 18th century, Hatty Hyde, born in 1703, was a famous English courtesan and mistress of several influential men, including the Duke of Marlborough and the Earl of Sandwich. Her memoirs, published posthumously in 1766, provided a glimpse into the life of a high-class courtesan during that era.
Another notable Hatty from history was Hatty Rathbone, born in 1778, an English actress and singer who performed in various theaters across London in the early 19th century. She was particularly renowned for her roles in comedic plays and operas.
Hatty Ida Vanderheyden, born in 1852, was an American author and editor who wrote extensively on topics related to women's rights and social reform. She was a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement in the late 19th century.
In more recent times, Hatty Jones, born in 1914, was a Welsh novelist and short story writer who gained recognition for her works depicting life in rural Wales. Her novel "Peasant's Revolt" was particularly well-received and earned her several literary awards.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Hatty, illustrating its enduring presence and use across various cultures and time periods.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Hatty
People
Hatty + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hatty 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
Hatty: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hatty?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hatty 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Hatty a common name?
We classify Hatty as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 53 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hatty most popular?
The single biggest year for Hatty was 1928, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hatty is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hatty a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hatty in the SSA data are female. 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.