Herschal
Of Old English origin meaning "deer woods" or "valley where deer live".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Herschal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Herschal today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Herschal births was 1928 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Herschal. 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 Herschal is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Herschals were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Herschal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1928
6 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
1935 SSA rank
#3,892
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Herschal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Herschal from the 1920s through to the 1930s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 21 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Herschal 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 Herschal 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 Herschal
The name Herschal originates from the German language and is a variant spelling of the name Herschel. It is derived from the German word "Hirsch," which means "deer" or "stag." The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages in Germanic-speaking regions of Europe.
Herschel is believed to have been initially used as a surname, possibly referring to someone who lived near a deer park or worked as a hunter or gamekeeper. Over time, it transitioned into being used as a given name, particularly among Protestant Christian communities in Germany and neighboring areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Herschel dates back to the 16th century, when it was documented in church records in the German states. However, it wasn't until the 18th century that the name gained greater prominence.
The most famous individual with the name Herschel is undoubtedly the German-born British astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel (1738-1822). He is credited with discovering the planet Uranus and making significant contributions to the study of astronomy and the construction of telescopes.
Another notable figure with the name Herschel was John Herschel (1792-1871), the son of Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel. He was also an accomplished astronomer and mathematician, known for his pioneering work in photography and his contributions to the field of astrophysics.
In the realm of literature, Herschel is the name of a character in the novel "The Cider House Rules" by John Irving, published in 1985. The character, Herschel Prine, is an orphan who grows up in an orphanage run by the story's protagonist.
Herschel Shostakovich (1906-1988) was a Russian-American composer and pianist, born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was the son of the renowned composer Dmitri Shostakovich and pursued a career in music, though he lived in relative obscurity compared to his father.
Another individual with the name Herschel was Herschel Greenbaum (1899-1975), an American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Greenbaum Construction Company in New York City and was known for his charitable work, particularly in supporting educational institutions and Jewish organizations.
While the name Herschal has German roots and historical connections to astronomy and science, it has been adopted and used across various cultures and regions over the centuries, though it remains relatively uncommon compared to more popular names.
People
Herschal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Herschal 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
Herschal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Herschal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Herschal 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Herschal a common name?
We classify Herschal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 26 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Herschal most popular?
The single biggest year for Herschal was 1928, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Herschal is about 80 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 Herschal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Herschal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Herschal 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 Herschal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Herschal 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 Herschal 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 Americans are named Herschal?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.