Find out how popular the last name Herbert is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Herbert.

Herbert, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Herbert surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Herbert in America

Herbert is the 1334th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Herbert surname appeared 26,417 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Herbert.

We can also compare 2010 data for Herbert to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Herbert

The surname Herbert originated in Germany and France, developing from the medieval given name Heribert or Heriberto. It is derived from the Germanic elements 'heri' meaning army and 'beraht' meaning bright or illustrious, signifying a 'bright warrior'. The name first emerged in the 8th century and was initially popular among the Frankish nobility.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Herbert surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript survey conducted in 1086 on the orders of William the Conqueror. It lists several landowners and tenants with variations of the name, such as Herbertus, Herebertus, and Hereberd, primarily concentrated in Normandy and surrounding regions.

In the 12th century, the name appeared in various charters and records across Europe. Notable individuals from this period include Herbert de Losinga (c. 1050–1119), the first Bishop of Norwich, and Herbert of Vermandois (c. 1057–1131), a crusader and Count of Vermandois.

The Herbert surname continued to gain prominence in the following centuries. Sir William Herbert (c. 1506–1570) was a prominent Welsh soldier and courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. George Herbert (1593–1633), an English poet and orator, is renowned for his religious poetry and is considered a metaphysical poet.

Other notable Herberts include Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury (1583–1648), an English diplomat, philosopher, and historian, and Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (1534–1601), a prominent courtier during the reign of Elizabeth I. The surname also has a strong association with the Herbert family of Pembrokeshire, Wales, who played a significant role in the region's history.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Herbert name was well-established among the British aristocracy and gentry. Examples include Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke (1656–1733), a prominent politician and Lord High Admiral, and Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke (1734–1794), a nobleman and art collector.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Herbert

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Herbert.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Herbert was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Herbert has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Herbert was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Herbert, please contact us.

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