Heston
From an English surname meaning "settlement on the hill" or "homestead" of Old English origin.
Name Census estimates that about 1,490 living Americans carry the first name Heston. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Heston today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Heston births was 2016 (78 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Heston. 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
- • Heston is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 18 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.5K
~ 1 in 230,036 Americans
Peak year
2016
78 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,883
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Heston: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Heston from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 576 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Heston remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Heston 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 Heston during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hestons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Texas, Utah, Oklahoma recorded the most babies named Heston, while Idaho, Nebraska, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 58 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Heston
The name Heston is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hæst" meaning "highest" and "tun" meaning "town" or "settlement." It was originally a place name referring to a town or village located on higher ground or a hilltop.
In the Middle Ages, the name Heston was used as a surname for people who lived in or came from the town of Heston in Middlesex, England. The earliest recorded use of the name as a given name dates back to the 16th century.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Heston was Heston Napier, an English politician who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as a Member of Parliament for Berkshire in 1597 and 1601.
Another notable figure was Heston Browne, an English lawyer and politician who lived in the 17th century. He served as a Member of Parliament for Marlborough in 1640 and played a role in the events leading up to the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, Heston Humble was a prominent English architect known for his work on several churches and country houses in the Georgian style. He was active in the mid-1700s and designed buildings such as the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Heston was Heston Blumenthal, the acclaimed English chef and pioneer of multi-sensory cooking. He was born in 1966 and is known for his innovative and experimental approach to cuisine, combining scientific techniques with traditional cooking methods.
In the realm of literature, Heston Muarry was an American novelist and short story writer who lived from 1899 to 1961. He is best known for his works exploring the themes of identity, alienation, and the human condition, such as the novel "The Stranger's Path."
While the name Heston has its roots in England and was initially a place name, it has gained recognition as a given name in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. Its unique history and meaning have contributed to its enduring appeal.
People
Heston + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Heston 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
Heston: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Heston?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,490 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Heston 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 230,036 US residents.
Is Heston a common name?
We classify Heston as "Rare". It ranks above 92.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,553 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Heston most popular?
The single biggest year for Heston was 2016, when 78 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Heston is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Heston a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Heston 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.