Hortense
A feminine given name of French origin meaning "garden" or "gardener".
Name Census estimates that about 645 living Americans carry the first name Hortense. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hortense today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hortense births was 1919 (229 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hortense. 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
- • The typical person named Hortense is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Hortenses were born before 1957.
People living today
645
~ 1 in 531,402 Americans
Peak year
1919
229 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1976 SSA rank
#8,509
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Hortense: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hortense from the 1880s through to the 1970s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 1,794 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hortense 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 Hortense during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hortenses live
The SSA's state-level files cover 26 states and territories. Texas, New York, Virginia recorded the most babies named Hortense, while Utah, Wisconsin, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 116 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hortense
The name Hortense is derived from the Latin word "hortus", meaning "garden". It originated in the Romance languages, particularly in French and Italian. The name became popular in France during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods.
The earliest recorded use of the name Hortense dates back to the 6th century AD, when it was mentioned in the writings of Pope Gregory I. During the Middle Ages, the name was associated with the Carolingian dynasty and the Frankish nobility. One notable historical figure was Hortense de Beauharnais, the daughter of Empress Josephine and stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte. She was born in 1783 and married Louis Bonaparte, becoming the Queen of Holland.
In the 16th century, the name Hortense gained popularity among the French aristocracy. One famous bearer of the name was Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin, who was born in 1646 and was a prominent figure at the court of King Louis XIV of France. She was known for her beauty and intelligence, as well as her scandalous love affairs.
Another notable Hortense was Hortense de Polignac, born in 1776, who was a close friend and confidante of Queen Marie Antoinette of France. She was a member of the French nobility and fled France during the French Revolution.
In the 19th century, the name Hortense was popular among the upper classes in France and England. Hortense Eugénie Cécile Bonaparte, born in 1783, was the daughter of Empress Josephine and the stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte. She was married to Louis Bonaparte and became the Queen of Holland.
Hortense Calisher, an American novelist and philosopher, was born in 1911 and is known for her works exploring the complexities of modern life. She received numerous literary awards, including the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize and the Dos Passos Prize for Literature.
Throughout its history, the name Hortense has been associated with gardens, beauty, and nobility. While its popularity has waxed and waned over time, it remains a unique and elegant name with deep historical roots.
People
Hortense + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hortense 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
Hortense: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hortense?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 645 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hortense 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 531,402 US residents.
Is Hortense a common name?
We classify Hortense as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,313 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hortense most popular?
The single biggest year for Hortense was 1919, when 229 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hortense is about 79 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hortense a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hortense 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.