How Many People Are Named Herbert?
An estimated 70,664 people in the United States have the first name Herbert. It is predominantly male (99.5%). The average bearer is 69 years old, and Herbert peaked in popularity in 1928 with 8,113 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Herbert 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 Herbert paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Herbert is overwhelmingly male, 1,117 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 69, Herbert is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1967.
- Herbert has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
70,664
About 1 in 4,850 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
99.5% confidence
Average Age
69
years old
Peak Year
1928
8,113 births
Total Registered
229,328
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Herbert
Herbert is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 229,328 total births registered, 99.5% were male.
Herbert as a male name
Ranked #2,482 in 2024
55 male births in 2024
Peak: 1928 (8,065 births)
Herbert as a female name
Ranked #11,952 in 1987
5 female births in 1987
Peak: 1928 (48 births)
Herbert: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Herbert span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 56,846 babies were registered. Herbert has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Herbert by Decade
How has Herbert 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.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,257 | 4,257 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 5,670 | 5,660 | 10 | |
| 1900s | 6,975 | 6,957 | 18 | |
| 1910s | 34,003 | 33,860 | 143 | |
| 1920s | 56,846 | 56,531 | 315 | |
| 1930s | 38,050 | 37,821 | 229 | |
| 1940s | 28,829 | 28,708 | 121 | |
| 1950s | 24,405 | 24,296 | 109 | |
| 1960s | 13,793 | 13,702 | 91 | |
| 1970s | 7,304 | 7,248 | 56 | |
| 1980s | 4,488 | 4,463 | 25 | |
| 1990s | 2,409 | 2,409 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 1,234 | 1,234 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 767 | 767 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 298 | 298 | 0 | |
Herbert by State
Birth registrations for Herbert span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois. The lowest are in Nevada, Wyoming, Alaska. On average, about 4,083 Herberts were registered per state.
Herbert + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Herbert as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Herbert
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
Herbert: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Herbert?
We estimate approximately 70,664 people named Herbert 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 4,850 Americans share this first name.
Is Herbert a common name?
Herbert is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.3% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 229,328 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Herbert most popular?
Herbert reached peak popularity in 1928, when 8,113 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Herbert is approximately 69 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Herbert a male name?
Herbert is predominantly male. 99.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Herbert Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Herbert Smith, Herbert Johnson, Herbert 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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