Hiede
A feminine German name of uncertain meaning, perhaps derived from "hede" (heathland).
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Hiede. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hiede today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hiede births was 1969 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hiede. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hiede. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1969
7 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
1974 SSA rank
#9,245
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Hiede: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hiede from the 1960s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 7 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Hiede remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hiede 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 Hiede 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 Hiede
The name Hiede is an ancient Germanic name that originated in the early medieval period. Its roots can be traced back to the Old High German word "hied," which means "person" or "kind." This name likely emerged as a descriptive name, indicating a person's character or disposition.
In the 8th century, the name Hiede appeared in the Carolingian chronicles, which recorded the names of prominent individuals during the reign of Charlemagne. One notable figure was Hiede of Mainz, a Frankish noblewoman who lived around 780 AD and was known for her patronage of the arts and literature.
The name Hiede gained popularity in the German-speaking regions of Europe during the Middle Ages. It was particularly common in the Rhineland and the areas surrounding modern-day Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Historical records from the 11th and 12th centuries mention several individuals bearing this name, including Hiede von Leiningen, a German countess who founded a monastery in 1128.
In the 13th century, Hiede Hildebrand of Cologne (1225-1291) was a renowned German mystic and writer who authored several influential works on spiritual contemplation. Her writings were widely read and discussed among religious scholars of the time.
During the Renaissance period, the name Hiede gained recognition through the works of Hiede von Bingen (1098-1179), a German Benedictine abbess, philosopher, and composer. She was a remarkable figure in the intellectual and cultural life of the 12th century, known for her extensive writings on various subjects, including medicine, music, and theology.
In the 16th century, Hiede Mercker (1509-1572) was a German cartographer and mathematician who contributed significantly to the development of mapmaking techniques. His detailed maps of Europe and the Holy Roman Empire were highly regarded in his time and influenced subsequent generations of cartographers.
Throughout history, the name Hiede has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, scholars, artists, and religious figures. While its usage has declined in modern times, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage of the German-speaking regions, reflecting the diverse histories and traditions of these areas.
People
Hiede + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hiede 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
Hiede: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hiede?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hiede 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Hiede a common name?
We classify Hiede as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hiede most popular?
The single biggest year for Hiede was 1969, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hiede is about 53 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 Hiede in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hiede a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hiede 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 Hiede still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hiede 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 Hiede 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 common is the name Hiede?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Hiede at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.