How Many People Are Named Herschel?
An estimated 3,825 people in the United States have the first name Herschel. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 59 years old, and Herschel peaked in popularity in 1921 with 277 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Herschel 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 Herschel paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
3,825
About 1 in 89,609 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
100.0% confidence
Average Age
59
years old
Peak Year
1921
277 births
Total Registered
10,640
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Herschel
Herschel is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 10,640 total births registered, 100.0% were male.
Herschel as a male name
Ranked #4,929 in 2024
20 male births in 2024
Peak: 1921 (277 births)
Herschel: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Herschel span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 2,258 babies were registered. Herschel has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Herschel by Decade
How has Herschel 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.
Herschel by State
Birth registrations for Herschel span all 27 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Indiana, Texas, Illinois. The lowest are in Nebraska, Maryland, Arizona. On average, about 229 Herschels were registered per state.
Herschel + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Herschel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Herschel
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
Herschel: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Herschel?
We estimate approximately 3,825 people named Herschel 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 89,609 Americans share this first name.
Is Herschel a common name?
Herschel is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 95.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 10,640 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Herschel most popular?
Herschel reached peak popularity in 1921, when 277 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Herschel is approximately 59 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Herschel a male name?
Herschel is predominantly male. 100.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Herschel Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Herschel Smith, Herschel Johnson, Herschel 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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