Heydi
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "a female guide".
Name Census estimates that about 671 living Americans carry the first name Heydi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Heydi today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Heydi births was 2008 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Heydi. 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
671
~ 1 in 510,811 Americans
Peak year
2008
43 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,004
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Heydi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Heydi from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 287 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Heydi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Heydi 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 Heydi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Heydis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Arizona recorded the most babies named Heydi, while North Carolina, Florida, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 33 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Heydi
The name Heydi is a feminine given name of uncertain origin, with various theories about its roots and historical significance. One possible explanation traces its origins to the Old German word "haid," which means "bright" or "shining." In this context, Heydi could be interpreted as a name that signifies radiance or beauty.
Another theory suggests that Heydi is derived from the Old Norse name "Heiðr," which was a name associated with the Germanic goddess of the same name. Heiðr was revered as a goddess of fertility and prosperity, and her name may have been adopted as a given name to invoke her blessings and protection.
While the exact origins of the name remain obscure, there are historical references to individuals bearing this name. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Heydi can be found in the medieval German epic poem "Das Nibelungenlied," which dates back to the 13th century. In this literary work, Heydi is mentioned as a minor character, suggesting that the name was in use during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Heydi. One such figure was Heydi von Jüchen, a 14th-century German noblewoman known for her patronage of the arts and her influential role in the court of the Holy Roman Empire. Another prominent bearer of the name was Heydi Candaux, a 19th-century Swiss watchmaker and inventor credited with developing innovative techniques in watchmaking.
In the realm of literature, Heydi Zimmer was a 20th-century German author celebrated for her children's books and contributions to the genre of magical realism. Additionally, Heydi Guenther was a renowned 20th-century German-American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of programming languages.
While these are but a few examples, the name Heydi has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and adding to the rich tapestry of cultural diversity.
People
Heydi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Heydi 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
Heydi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Heydi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 671 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Heydi 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 510,811 US residents.
Is Heydi a common name?
We classify Heydi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 680 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Heydi most popular?
The single biggest year for Heydi was 2008, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Heydi is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Heydi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Heydi 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.
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.