Hiraeth
A deep nostalgic longing for a home that may never have existed.
Name Census estimates that about 32 living Americans carry the first name Hiraeth. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 78.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Hiraeth today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hiraeth births was 2021 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hiraeth. 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 Hiraeth. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
32
~ 1 in 10,711,073 Americans
Peak year
2021
15 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2021 SSA rank
#10,114
Tracked since 2021
Gender
Gender distribution for Hiraeth
Hiraeth is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 32 total registrations, 7 (21.9%) were male and 25 (78.1%) were female.
Hiraeth as a male name
- Ranked #10,114 in 2021
- 7 male births in 2021
- Peak: 2021 (7 births)
Hiraeth as a female name
- Ranked #12,627 in 2023
- 7 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2022 (10 births)
Popularity
Hiraeth: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hiraeth 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 Hiraeth during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7 | 25 | 32 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hiraeth
Hiraeth is a Welsh word that has no direct English translation, but is often described as a deep longing or nostalgia for a home that perhaps never was. It is derived from the Welsh word "hiraeth," which means "longing" or "nostalgia."
The word Hiraeth is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, when the Welsh people were constantly fighting to defend their land and culture from invaders. During this time, many Welsh people were forced to leave their homes, leading to a deep sense of longing for their homeland and the way of life they had left behind.
In Welsh literature, Hiraeth is often used to describe the feeling of homesickness and longing experienced by those who have been exiled or forced to leave their homes. One of the earliest recorded uses of the word can be found in the epic poem "Y Gododdin," which dates back to the 6th century AD.
Throughout history, Hiraeth has been used as a first name by a number of notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded examples is Hiraeth ap Rhys (1140-1196), a Welsh prince and warrior who fought against the Norman invaders. Another notable figure was Hiraeth Glyndwr (1349-1415), a Welsh nobleman and military leader who led a rebellion against the English crown.
In more recent times, the name Hiraeth has been used by a number of writers and poets. Hiraeth Thomas (1829-1901) was a Welsh poet and clergyman who wrote extensively about the beauty of the Welsh landscape and the longing for home. Hiraeth Jones (1888-1960) was a Welsh novelist and short story writer whose works often explored themes of nostalgia and the loss of traditional Welsh culture.
Other notable individuals with the name Hiraeth include Hiraeth Evans (1914-1998), a Welsh composer and musician who helped to preserve traditional Welsh folk music, and Hiraeth Williams (1919-2003), a Welsh artist and sculptor whose works often reflected the rugged beauty of the Welsh landscape.
Overall, the name Hiraeth is a powerful and evocative word that captures the deep sense of longing and nostalgia that has been a part of the Welsh experience for centuries. It is a name that has been borne by many notable individuals throughout history, and one that continues to resonate with those who have a deep connection to their homeland and cultural heritage.
People
Hiraeth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hiraeth 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
Hiraeth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hiraeth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 32 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hiraeth 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 10,711,073 US residents.
Is Hiraeth a common name?
We classify Hiraeth as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 32 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hiraeth most popular?
The single biggest year for Hiraeth was 2021, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hiraeth is about 4 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 Hiraeth in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hiraeth a female name?
Yes, 78.1% of people registered as Hiraeth 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 Hiraeth still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hiraeth 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 Hiraeth 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 Hiraeth as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Hiraeth, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.