How Many People Are Named Hershell?
An estimated 722 people in the United States have the first name Hershell. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 71 years old, and Hershell peaked in popularity in 1920 with 45 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Hershell 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 Hershell paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- With an average bearer age of 71, Hershell is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1965.
Estimated Living Americans
722
About 1 in 474,729 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
100.0% confidence
Average Age
71
years old
Peak Year
1920
45 births
Total Registered
1,847
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Hershell
Hershell is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 1,847 total births registered, 100.0% were male.
Hershell as a male name
Ranked #9,353 in 1994
5 male births in 1994
Peak: 1920 (45 births)
Hershell: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Hershell span from the 1890s to the 1990s, covering 11 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 380 babies were registered. Hershell has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Hershell by Decade
How has Hershell 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.
Hershell by State
Birth registrations for Hershell span all 8 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas. The lowest are in Missouri, Georgia, Arkansas. On average, about 53 Hershells were registered per state.
Hershell + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Hershell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Hershell
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
Hershell: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hershell?
We estimate approximately 722 people named Hershell 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 474,729 Americans share this first name.
Is Hershell a common name?
Hershell is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 87.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 1,847 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Hershell most popular?
Hershell reached peak popularity in 1920, when 45 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Hershell is approximately 71 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Hershell a male name?
Hershell is predominantly male. 100.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Hershell Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Hershell Smith, Hershell Johnson, Hershell 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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