Hearther
A feminine name derived from the term for a flowering evergreen plant.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Hearther. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hearther today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hearther births was 1981 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hearther. 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 Hearther. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1981
5 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1986 SSA rank
#11,561
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Hearther: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hearther 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 Hearther during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0 | 10 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hearther
The name Hearther is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hæth," meaning a heathland or a shrubby area. It is believed to have emerged as a given name during the Middle Ages in Britain, where it was likely used as a descriptive name for someone living near or associated with heathlands.
Hearther was not a widely popular name in ancient times, and there are no significant historical references to it in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, it did appear sporadically in various historical records and documents from the medieval period onwards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hearther can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as a surname, suggesting its use as a given name predates this record.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Hearther. One such person was Hearther de Melton (c. 1290-1345), an English clergyman who served as the Lord Chancellor of England from 1344 to 1345 during the reign of Edward III.
Another prominent figure with this name was Hearther Cowley (1554-1618), an English poet and playwright who was known for her works in the Renaissance era. Her works included plays such as "The Witch of Edmonton" and several volumes of poetry.
In the 18th century, Hearther Siddons (1755-1831) was a renowned English actress who was considered one of the greatest tragic actresses of her time. She was particularly acclaimed for her performances in Shakespearean plays and became a celebrated figure in the Georgian era.
Moving into the 19th century, Hearther Graham (1822-1885) was an influential Scottish-American entrepreneur and businesswoman. She was the founder of the Graham Cracker Company and played a significant role in the promotion of dietary reform and vegetarianism in the United States.
Lastly, Hearther Merwin (1916-1995) was an American poet and translator who received numerous accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1971 for her collection "The Carrier of Ladders." She was also the first woman to be appointed as the Poet Laureate of the United States in 1983.
People
Hearther + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hearther 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
Hearther: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hearther?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hearther 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Hearther a common name?
We classify Hearther as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hearther most popular?
The single biggest year for Hearther was 1981, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hearther is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hearther in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hearther a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hearther 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.
Is Hearther still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hearther in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hearther can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Hearther?
You can see how many people share the name Hearther on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.