Heith
A variation or respelling of Heath, meaning a field or meadow.
Name Census estimates that about 539 living Americans carry the first name Heith. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Heith today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Heith births was 1974 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Heith. 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
539
~ 1 in 635,908 Americans
Peak year
1974
31 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2011 SSA rank
#10,006
Tracked since 1966
Popularity
Heith: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Heith from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 240 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Heith 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 Heith during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Heiths live
Origin
Meaning and history of Heith
The name Heith has its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, tracing back to the Proto-Germanic root "haiþi," which means "heath" or "heathland." This connection to nature and the rugged landscapes of northern Europe is a hallmark of the name's heritage.
In the early medieval period, the name Heith was relatively common among the Anglo-Saxon populations of what is now England. It was often spelled as "Hæth" or "Hæð" in Old English documents and manuscripts. The name's popularity may have stemmed from its association with the untamed beauty of the heaths and moors that dotted the British countryside.
While no specific references to the name Heith can be found in ancient religious texts or historical records, its Germanic roots suggest that it was likely borne by individuals in various tribes and clans that inhabited the regions of modern-day Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia during the early centuries of the Common Era.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Heith was Heith of Mercia, a minor noble who lived in the kingdom of Mercia, now part of central England, in the 8th century. Another notable figure was Heith the Skald, a renowned Norse poet and storyteller who lived in Iceland in the late 10th century.
In the 12th century, a knight named Sir Heith de Burnham fought alongside Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade. De Burnham's exploits were chronicled in contemporary accounts, and he is remembered as a brave and loyal warrior.
During the Renaissance, a Dutch artist named Heith van der Meer (1525-1597) gained recognition for his portraiture and religious paintings, which adorned several churches and private collections in the Low Countries.
Centuries later, in the 19th century, Heith Barker (1823-1895) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall and parts of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Heith. While the name may have waxed and waned in popularity over the centuries, its deep-rooted connection to the natural landscapes and cultural heritage of northern Europe has endured.
People
Heith + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Heith 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
Heith: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Heith?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 539 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Heith 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 635,908 US residents.
Is Heith a common name?
We classify Heith as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 572 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Heith most popular?
The single biggest year for Heith was 1974, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Heith is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Heith a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Heith 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.