Hershall
Of Old English origin meaning "army man" or "trooper".
Name Census estimates that about 44 living Americans carry the first name Hershall. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hershall today is around 82 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hershall births was 1918 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hershall. 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 Hershall is about 82 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Hershalls were born before 1954.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hershall. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
44
~ 1 in 7,789,871 Americans
Peak year
1918
13 babies that year
Average age
82
years old
1954 SSA rank
#4,063
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Hershall: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hershall from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 60 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
Hershall 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 Hershall 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 Hershall
The name Hershall is an anglicized version of the Hebrew name Hershel, which is a diminutive form of the name Hirsh or Hersh. The name Hirsh is derived from the German word "Hirsch," which means "deer" or "stag." It is believed to have originated in the Yiddish-speaking Jewish communities of Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe settled in the United States and other countries, bringing with them their traditional names. As they assimilated into their new communities, some adapted the spelling of their names to make them more easily understood and pronounced by English speakers, leading to variations like Hershall.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Hershall can be found in the 1880 United States Census, where a few individuals with this name were listed. However, it is important to note that census records from that time may not be entirely accurate or comprehensive.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Hershall, although it was not a particularly common name. One such individual was Hershall Philbrick (1885-1946), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Philbrick-Booth Company, a successful furniture manufacturing firm.
Another notable Hershall was Hershall E. Shipley (1888-1976), an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio from 1933 to 1939.
In the field of literature, Hershall Lebowitz (1916-2005) was an American author and translator best known for his translations of Yiddish works into English.
Hershall Thompson (1928-2007) was an American artist and sculptor who gained recognition for his abstract and minimalist sculptures made from welded metal.
Lastly, Hershall E. Vance (1934-2014) was a prominent American businessman and philanthropist who served as the CEO of Vanco Industries, a leading manufacturer of industrial products.
While the name Hershall may not be as widespread as some other names, it has a rich history and cultural significance, particularly within the Jewish community and as a reflection of the immigrant experience in the United States.
People
Hershall + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hershall 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
Hershall: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hershall?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 44 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hershall 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 7,789,871 US residents.
Is Hershall a common name?
We classify Hershall as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 195 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hershall most popular?
The single biggest year for Hershall was 1918, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hershall is about 82 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hershall a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hershall 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.