Hether
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from heather.
Name Census estimates that about 333 living Americans carry the first name Hether. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hether today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hether births was 1977 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hether. 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.
People living today
333
~ 1 in 1,029,292 Americans
Peak year
1977
26 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1991 SSA rank
#8,187
Tracked since 1964
Census
Hether in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 421 people with the first name Hether, which placed it at #23,301 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#23,301
National first-name rank
People counted
421
421 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
85.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hether
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hether is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Hether described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Hether at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 358
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 30
- Two or more races2.6% · 11
- Black or African American2.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 5
Popularity
Hether: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hether from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 192 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hether 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 Hether during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hethers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hether
The name Hether is a unique and intriguing moniker with roots that can be traced back to ancient civilizations. Its origins are believed to lie in the Scandinavian and Germanic languages, where it was derived from the Old Norse word "heið," meaning "honor" or "respect." This connection to honor and virtue is a recurring theme throughout the history of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hether can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of legendary tales that date back to the 13th century. In these stories, Hether was often used as a name for characters who embodied bravery, strength, and a deep sense of loyalty to their kin and community.
As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and forms, such as Hether, Heather, and Hethyr. In the Middle Ages, the name gained popularity among the noble classes, with several notable figures bearing the name. One such individual was Hether of Wessex (c. 890-935), a renowned Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who played a significant role in the unification of England under the rule of King Athelstan.
During the Renaissance period, the name Hether continued to be associated with individuals of distinction. In Italy, Hether Contarini (1470-1542) was a prominent Venetian scholar and diplomat who played a crucial role in fostering cultural and intellectual exchanges between Venice and other European cities.
As exploration and colonization took place, the name Hether found its way to the New World. One notable figure was Hether Winthrop (1638-1718), a Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who became renowned for her influential role in the establishment of educational institutions and her advocacy for women's rights.
In the 19th century, the name Hether gained further recognition through the works of literary figures. Hether Bronte (1818-1848), the renowned English novelist and poet, immortalized the name through her iconic works such as "Wuthering Heights" and "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall."
Another notable individual was Hether Stanton (1815-1902), an American social reformer and leader of the women's rights movement, who played a pivotal role in the fight for women's suffrage and gender equality in the United States.
Throughout its rich history, the name Hether has been borne by individuals who have left an indelible mark on various fields, including literature, politics, and social reform. Its enduring appeal and connection to honor and virtue continue to make it a cherished and respected name across cultures and generations.
People
Hether + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hether 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
Hether: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hether?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 333 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hether 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 1,029,292 US residents.
Is Hether a common name?
We classify Hether as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 364 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hether most popular?
The single biggest year for Hether was 1977, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hether is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Hether in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 421 people with the name Hether, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,301 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Hether in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Hether?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Hether appears almost entirely female. Of the 416 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Hether?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hether is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Hether most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Hether in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (358 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Hether in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hether a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hether 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 Hether still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hether 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 Hether 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.
How many people are named Hether?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.