Heer
A feminine name of Hindi origin meaning "beautiful, loving".
Name Census estimates that about 252 living Americans carry the first name Heer. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Heer today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Heer births was 2015 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Heer. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Heer with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
252
~ 1 in 1,360,136 Americans
Peak year
2015
21 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,787
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Heer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Heer 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 149 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Heer remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Heer 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 Heer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Heers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Heer
The name Heer has its origins in the Persian language, where it is derived from the word "hir" meaning "lion." It is believed to have originated in ancient Persia, which is modern-day Iran, during the time of the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BCE). This period saw the rise of influential Persian rulers such as Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great.
In Persian culture, the lion has long been a symbol of strength, courage, and royalty, making the name Heer a fitting choice for those born into nobility or aspiring to greatness. The name was likely bestowed upon male children as a way of imbuing them with these qualities from birth.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Heer can be found in the epic poem "Heer Ranjha," a tragic love story from the 16th century that is considered a masterpiece of Punjabi literature. In this tale, Heer is the name of the female protagonist, a beautiful and virtuous woman whose love for Ranjha, a young man from a lower caste, defies societal norms.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Heer. One such figure was Heer Khan (1500-1565), a Pashtun warrior and chieftain who played a pivotal role in the Afghan resistance against the Mughal Empire. Another was Heer Singh Nalwa (1791-1837), a renowned military commander in the Sikh Empire who was known for his tactical brilliance and bravery on the battlefield.
In the literary realm, Heer Waris Shah (1766-1853) was a renowned Sufi poet from what is now Pakistan. His masterpiece, the epic poem "Heer Ranjha," has been widely celebrated for its poetic artistry and exploration of themes such as love, sacrifice, and spiritual enlightenment.
A more contemporary figure bearing the name Heer was Heer Kunwari (1914-1988), an Indian classical singer and actor who was celebrated for her contributions to Hindustani music and her performances in several Bollywood films.
While the name Heer may have its roots in ancient Persia, it has since been embraced across various cultures and regions, particularly in South Asia, where it continues to be a popular choice for naming children, carrying with it a sense of strength, courage, and nobility.
People
Heer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Heer 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
Heer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Heer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 252 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Heer 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 1,360,136 US residents.
Is Heer a common name?
We classify Heer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 254 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Heer most popular?
The single biggest year for Heer was 2015, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Heer is about 11 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 Heer in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Heer a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Heer 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 Heer still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Heer 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 Heer 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 are named Heer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.