Hervy
Diminutive form of the French name Hervé meaning "battle worthy".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Hervy. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hervy today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hervy births was 1928 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hervy. 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 Hervy is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Hervys were born before 1960.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hervy. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1928
8 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1954 SSA rank
#4,065
Tracked since 1928
Popularity
Hervy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hervy from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 8 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Hervy remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hervy 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 Hervy 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 Hervy
The name Hervy is a diminutive or shortened form of the English name Harvey, which has its origins in the Old Norman French name "Hervé" or "Hervieu". This name ultimately derives from the Germanic elements "har" meaning "army" and "wī" meaning "battle" or "warrior". Together, the elements suggest the meaning "battle-worthy" or "soldier".
In the Middle Ages, the name was popular among the Normans and was introduced to England after the Norman Conquest in 1066. It quickly gained favor as a given name among the English nobility and aristocracy due to its association with the Norman conquerors.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Hervy can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Hervei" and is listed as the name of several landowners and tenants.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Hervy was Hervy de Bourges, a 12th-century French philosopher and theologian. He was known for his work on the reconciliation of faith and reason, and his writings were influential in the development of scholastic philosophy.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Hervy Jermyn, an English royalist and military commander during the English Civil War in the 17th century. He fought alongside King Charles I and was known for his loyalty to the monarchy.
In the 18th century, Hervy Bracken was an English writer and satirist who gained notoriety for his biting wit and criticism of contemporary society. He was born in 1695 and published several works of satire and social commentary.
The name Hervy also appears in religious texts and scriptures. In the Bible, there is a character named Hervey who is mentioned in the Book of Ezra as one of the leaders of the Israelites who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity.
Another notable figure named Hervy was Hervy de Donjon, a 13th-century French knight who participated in the Seventh Crusade and fought alongside King Louis IX of France. He was renowned for his bravery and military prowess during the crusades.
While the name Hervy has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it remains a significant part of the history and heritage of English and Norman names, reflecting the cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped the development of given names over the centuries.
People
Hervy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hervy 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
Hervy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hervy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hervy 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Hervy a common name?
We classify Hervy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hervy most popular?
The single biggest year for Hervy was 1928, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hervy is about 76 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 Hervy in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hervy a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hervy 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 Hervy still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hervy 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 Hervy 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 are named Hervy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.