Hestia
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "hearth" or "fireside".
Name Census estimates that about 62 living Americans carry the first name Hestia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hestia today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hestia births was 2023 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hestia. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Hestia with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hestia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
62
~ 1 in 5,528,296 Americans
Peak year
2023
13 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,613
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Hestia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hestia from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 43 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hestia 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 Hestia 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 Hestia
The name Hestia originates from ancient Greek mythology and culture, dating back to the 8th century BC or earlier. It is derived from the Greek word "estia," which means "hearth" or "fireplace," representing the sacred fire that burned at the center of every Greek home.
Hestia was the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and family in Greek mythology. She was one of the twelve Olympian deities and was deeply revered for her role in maintaining the sanctity of the home and the unity of the family. Her name appears frequently in ancient Greek literature, such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, where she is described as a gentle and protective deity.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Hestia can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek lyric poet Pindar, who lived in the 5th century BC. He composed odes and hymns in praise of the goddess Hestia, celebrating her as the guardian of the hearth and the embodiment of domestic life.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hestia, though it was not a common name until more recent times. One of the earliest known figures with this name was Hestia of Alexandria, a Neoplatonist philosopher who lived in the 5th century AD and wrote commentaries on various works of Plato and Aristotle.
Another notable Hestia was Hestia Constantinou (1876-1962), a Greek writer and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and education in the early 20th century. She founded the Greek Women's Literary Society and played a significant role in promoting the emancipation of women in Greece.
In the field of archaeology, Hestia Semitecolonous (1915-1994) was a Greek archaeologist and curator who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek pottery and ceramics. She worked at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens and published numerous scholarly works on Greek ceramics.
Hestia Menagaki (1920-2008) was a Greek artist and printmaker known for her woodcuts and etchings depicting scenes from Greek mythology and folklore. Her works were exhibited internationally and are part of numerous museum collections.
Hestia Sokolova (1928-1963) was a Russian ballerina and choreographer who performed with the Bolshoi Ballet and later became a renowned teacher and coach. She was celebrated for her interpretations of classical roles and her contributions to the art of ballet.
People
Hestia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hestia 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
Hestia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hestia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 62 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hestia 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 5,528,296 US residents.
Is Hestia a common name?
We classify Hestia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 57.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 62 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hestia most popular?
The single biggest year for Hestia was 2023, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hestia is about 5 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 Hestia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hestia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hestia in the SSA data are female. 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 Hestia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hestia 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 Hestia 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 Hestia as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.