Herney
A masculine given name derived from the German surname Härning.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Herney. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Herney today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Herney births was 1991 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Herney. 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 Herney. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1991
5 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
1991 SSA rank
#8,697
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Herney: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Herney 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 Herney during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Herney
The name Herney is an uncommon given name with origins that are somewhat obscure. It appears to be a variant spelling of the German name Hernei, which itself is derived from the Old German word "heri" meaning "army" or "warrior." This suggests that the name may have originated among Germanic tribes or regions with strong Germanic cultural influences during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest known references to the name Herney can be found in a 12th century chronicle from the Rhineland region of modern-day Germany. The chronicle mentions a knight named Herney von Rüdesheim who fought in the Second Crusade under the command of King Conrad III of Germany in the mid-12th century.
In the 15th century, there are records of a Herney Bockholtz, a merchant and burgher from the Hanseatic city of Lübeck in northern Germany. Bockholtz was a prominent figure in the city's trade guilds and served as a member of the city council.
Moving forward in history, we find Herney Reinhold, a 17th century German astronomer and mathematician from the city of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland). Reinhold was renowned for his work on improving the accuracy of astronomical calculations and almanacs. He lived from 1598 to 1667.
Another notable individual with the name Herney was Herney Heeren, a 19th century Dutch historian and philologist. Heeren was born in 1760 and is best known for his works on the historical and cultural development of various ancient civilizations, including the Greeks, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians. He died in 1842.
Lastly, we have Herney Amery, an English politician and writer who lived from 1869 to 1945. Amery served as a Member of Parliament and held several government positions, including Secretary of State for the Colonies and Secretary of State for India. He was also a prolific author, writing works on history, politics, and literature.
While the name Herney is relatively uncommon, these examples demonstrate its presence throughout various periods of history, primarily in Germanic and European contexts. The name's origins as a variant of the Old German word for "warrior" or "army" suggest it may have been used as a given name to convey strength, courage, or military prowess.
People
Herney + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Herney 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
Herney: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Herney?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Herney 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Herney a common name?
We classify Herney as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Herney most popular?
The single biggest year for Herney was 1991, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Herney is about 34 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 Herney in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Herney a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Herney 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.
Is Herney still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Herney 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 Herney 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 common is the name Herney?
See how many people share the name Herney on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.