How Many People Are Named Heather?
An estimated 485,383 people in the United States have the first name Heather. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #87 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 45 years old, and Heather peaked in popularity in 1975 with 24,367 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Sharon (477,218).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Heather as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Heather paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Heather is overwhelmingly female, 1,477 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Heather has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
485,383
About 1 in 706 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.7% confidence
Average Age
45
years old
Peak Year
1975
24,367 births
Total Registered
527,210
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Heather
Heather is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 527,210 total births registered, 99.7% were female.
Heather as a male name
Ranked #13,044 in 2007
5 male births in 2007
Peak: 1976 (82 births)
Heather as a female name
Ranked #1,352 in 2024
168 female births in 2024
Peak: 1975 (24,302 births)
Heather: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Heather span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 204,538 babies were registered. Heather has declined significantly from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Heather by Decade
How has Heather tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Heather by State
Birth registrations for Heather span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Ohio, Pennsylvania. The lowest are in Wyoming, District of Columbia, Hawaii. On average, about 10,268 Heathers were registered per state.
Heather + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Heather as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Heather
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
Heather: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Heather?
We estimate approximately 485,383 people named Heather are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 706 Americans share this first name.
Is Heather a common name?
Heather is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 527,210 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Heather most popular?
Heather reached peak popularity in 1975, when 24,367 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Heather is approximately 45 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Heather a female name?
Heather is predominantly female. 99.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Heather Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Heather Smith, Heather Johnson, Heather Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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