Herrick
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "ruler of the army".
Name Census estimates that about 54 living Americans carry the first name Herrick. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Herrick today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Herrick births was 1988 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Herrick. 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 Herrick. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
54
~ 1 in 6,347,303 Americans
Peak year
1988
10 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,943
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Herrick: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Herrick from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 12 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1950s peak, Herrick remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Herrick 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 Herrick during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Herrick
The name Herrick has its origins in the Germanic language, tracing back to the 5th century. It is derived from the Old German words "heri" meaning army and "ric" meaning ruler or powerful, essentially translating to "army ruler" or "powerful leader."
In its earliest form, the name was spelled as "Heriric" or "Herericus." It gained popularity during the Frankish and Merovingian periods in areas that are now parts of modern-day France, Germany, and the Low Countries. The name was prominent among the ruling classes and aristocracy during these times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Herrick can be found in the 7th century, referring to Saint Herericus, a Frankish monk and abbot of the Abbey of Dèvre in present-day Belgium. He lived from around 630 to 690 AD and was known for his piety and dedication to monastic life.
In the literary world, Robert Herrick (1591-1674) was an English lyric poet and cleric, best known for his collection of poems titled "Hesperides." He is celebrated for his elegant and vivid portrayals of rural life and his mastery of lyrical verse.
John Herrick (1546-1594) was an English judge and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the development of English common law and is remembered for his impartial and fair judicial decisions.
Herrick Wills (1855-1916) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded the Wills Sainte Claire Automobile Company and later became involved in real estate development. Wills was a prominent benefactor of the University of Michigan and contributed significantly to the establishment of its engineering program.
Sir Clement Herrick (1908-1998) was a British diplomat and public servant. He served as the Ambassador to Switzerland from 1958 to 1962 and later as the Chief Clerk at the Foreign Office from 1963 to 1970. He was widely respected for his diplomatic skills and commitment to public service.
Herrick Johnston (1832-1913) was an American Civil War veteran and politician. He served as a Union Army officer during the Civil War and later became a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the state of Indiana from 1887 to 1891.
People
Herrick + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Herrick 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
Herrick: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Herrick?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 54 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Herrick 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 6,347,303 US residents.
Is Herrick a common name?
We classify Herrick as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 71 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Herrick most popular?
The single biggest year for Herrick was 1988, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Herrick is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Herrick a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Herrick 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.