Hertis
A feminine name derived from the German name Gertrude, meaning "strength of a spear".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Hertis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hertis today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hertis births was 1921 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hertis. 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 Hertis. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1921
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1921 SSA rank
#4,634
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Hertis: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hertis 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 Hertis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hertis
The given name Hertis has its origins rooted in the ancient Germanic languages, particularly in the Old High German dialect spoken in the regions of present-day southern Germany and parts of Austria during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a compound name, formed by combining the elements "her," meaning army or host, and "tis," derived from the Old High German word "tior," signifying a formidable beast or wild animal.
The earliest known historical references to the name Hertis can be traced back to the 9th century, where it appears in various monastic records and chronicles from the Frankish Empire. One notable mention is found in the Annales Regni Francorum, a contemporary account of the reign of Charlemagne, which chronicles the exploits of a Frankish nobleman named Hertis who participated in the Saxon Wars.
In the 11th century, the name gained prominence with the rise of Hertis of Regensburg, a renowned Benedictine monk and scholar who authored several influential theological treatises and served as the abbot of the prestigious St. Emmeram's Abbey in Bavaria from 1032 to 1054 CE.
During the High Middle Ages, the name Hertis was particularly popular among the knightly classes and nobility of the Holy Roman Empire. One notable bearer of the name was Hertis von Hohenstaufen (1107-1170), a member of the illustrious Hohenstaufen dynasty and a prominent military commander who fought alongside Emperor Frederick Barbarossa during the Italian campaigns of the 12th century.
In the ecclesiastical realm, Hertis of Bamberg (1285-1347) was a revered Franciscan friar and preacher who played a significant role in the religious and intellectual life of medieval Germany. His sermons and theological writings had a lasting impact on the development of mystical and devotional literature in the region.
Across the centuries, the name Hertis has maintained a consistent presence, albeit with varying degrees of popularity. Other notable historical figures bearing this name include Hertis von Lindau (1520-1583), a renowned German humanist and author of the Renaissance era, and Hertis Holzschuher (1611-1663), a celebrated Baroque painter and engraver from Nuremberg, celebrated for his intricate religious works and portraiture.
People
Hertis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hertis 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
Hertis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hertis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hertis 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 - US residents.
Is Hertis a common name?
We classify Hertis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% 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 Hertis most popular?
The single biggest year for Hertis was 1921, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hertis is about 0 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 Hertis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hertis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hertis 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 Hertis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hertis 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 Hertis 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 people have the name Hertis?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Hertis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.