Herb
A diminutive form of the given name Herbert, derived from the Germanic roots meaning "bright army".
Name Census estimates that about 1,074 living Americans carry the first name Herb. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Herb today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Herb births was 1947 (70 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Herb. 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
- • The typical person named Herb is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Herbs were born before 1966.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 319,138 Americans
Peak year
1947
70 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1993 SSA rank
#8,013
Tracked since 1884
Popularity
Herb: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Herb from the 1880s through to the 1990s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 531 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Herb 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 Herb during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Herbs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. California, Ohio, Illinois recorded the most babies named Herb, while Oklahoma, Minnesota, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Herb
The name Herb is derived from the Old German word "heri" or "heer," which means "army" or "host." It is believed to have originated in the 5th or 6th century AD among the Germanic tribes that inhabited central and northern Europe.
In its earliest form, Herb was likely a shortened version of longer Germanic names such as Herbert or Heribert, which combined "heri" with the word "berht," meaning "bright" or "shining." These compound names were common in the early Middle Ages and reflected the warrior culture of the time.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Herb comes from the 8th century, when it appears in the Carolingian chronicles, referring to Herb, a Frankish count and military leader under Charlemagne. Herb played a significant role in the Carolingian Empire's expansion and consolidation of power across what is now modern-day France and Germany.
In the 11th century, the name Herb gained prominence with Saint Heribert, the Archbishop of Cologne from 999 to 1021. Renowned for his piety and leadership, Saint Heribert was a influential figure in the Holy Roman Empire and played a key role in the canonization process of Emperor Henry II.
Other notable individuals named Herb throughout history include:
1. Herb Jeffries (1913-2014), an American jazz singer, actor, and songwriter known as the "Bronze Buckaroo."
2. Herb Alpert (born 1935), an American musician and recording artist, best known for his work with the Tijuana Brass and as a co-founder of A&M Records.
3. Herb Brooks (1937-2003), an American ice hockey player and coach, who led the 1980 United States Olympic hockey team to a gold medal victory over the Soviet Union in the "Miracle on Ice."
4. Herb Kelleher (1931-2019), an American businessman and the co-founder and former CEO of Southwest Airlines, known for his innovative leadership and corporate culture.
5. Herb Ritts (1952-2002), an American fashion photographer renowned for his iconic black-and-white portraits and editorial work.
While the name Herb has its roots in the Germanic languages, it has since been adopted and used across various cultures and regions, particularly in the English-speaking world. Its enduring popularity can be attributed to its simple yet distinctive sound, as well as its historical associations with strength, leadership, and cultural significance.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Herb
People
Herb + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Herb 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
Herb: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Herb?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,074 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Herb 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 319,138 US residents.
Is Herb a common name?
We classify Herb as "Rare". It ranks above 90.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,008 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Herb most popular?
The single biggest year for Herb was 1947, when 70 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Herb is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Herb a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Herb 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.