Hover
One who moves in a hovering or suspended manner.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Hover. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hover today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hover births was 1928 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hover. 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 Hover. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1928
7 babies that year
Average age
-
1928 SSA rank
#3,516
Tracked since 1928
Popularity
Hover: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hover 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 Hover during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hover
The name Hover is relatively uncommon and its origins are somewhat obscure. It is believed to have originated in the Germanic languages, potentially derived from the Old High German word "huobar," which means "to rise" or "to hover." The earliest known use of the name dates back to the 12th century in parts of Central Europe.
In the Middle Ages, the name Hover was occasionally found in various regional records and chronicles, though it was never widespread. One of the earliest documented individuals bearing this name was Hover von Eckhart, a minor nobleman from Bavaria who lived in the late 13th century.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Huber, Huover, and Hoover. While not directly related to the name Hover, the surname Hoover, which gained prominence in the United States, may have had a similar linguistic origin.
Historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries mention a handful of individuals named Hover, primarily in German-speaking regions. One notable figure was Hover Schneider, a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg, Germany, who lived from 1565 to 1630.
In the 19th century, the name Hover gained some recognition due to the achievements of Hover Rüdiger, a German philosopher and author born in 1823. His works on metaphysics and ethics were widely read and discussed in academic circles of the time.
Another individual of note was Hover Jansen, a Dutch explorer and navigator who lived from 1847 to 1923. He is credited with mapping several uncharted islands in the South Pacific and contributing to the understanding of oceanic currents and weather patterns in that region.
While the name Hover has never been exceptionally popular, it has maintained a presence throughout history, primarily in German-speaking countries and parts of Central Europe. Its linguistic roots and potential connection to the concept of hovering or rising lend it a unique and intriguing quality.
People
Hover + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hover 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
Hover: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hover?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hover 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 - US residents.
Is Hover a common name?
We classify Hover as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hover most popular?
The single biggest year for Hover was 1928, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hover is about 0 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 Hover in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hover a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hover in the SSA data are male. 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 Hover still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hover 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 Hover 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 are called Hover?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.