Hector
Hector was the 409th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 779 babies. Its best year was 1990, when it ranked 156th; the most babies were born in 2005 (2,458). Over the last ten years it has moved down 106 places. More babies were named Hector in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning holding fast · Greek
Say it HEK-ter /ˈhɛktər/
- Rank in 2025
- #409 boys, down 44 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 779boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20052,458 babies
- Total since 1880
- 109,209babies recorded
What does the name Hector mean?
Hector is the Trojan hero of Homer's Iliad. DMNES derives the Greek Hektōr, possibly, from echein, "to have, hold", and Wiktionary glosses it "holding fast". DMNES notes Hector was one of the medieval Nine Worthies and the name of King Arthur's foster father, which kept it in use. In Scotland it was used to anglicize Gaelic Eachann, and in Spanish it is Héctor.
Ἕκτωρ (Ancient Greek, “holding fast”)ἔχειν (Ancient Greek, “to have, hold”)
How sure is this? Probable. DMNES marks the derivation from 'to hold' as possible.
Related names: Héctor, Ettore, Eachann.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Hector', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Hector', DMNES, Durham University
- Charlotte M. Yonge, History of Christian Names, new ed. (1884), index s.v. 'Hector' (19th-century work; used for dated usage facts only), Macmillan (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Hector', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Hector popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 481 since 1935.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #409 | 779 |
| 2020 | #365 | 856 |
| 2010 | #226 | 1,562 |
| 2000 | #185 | 1,979 |
| 1990 | #156 | 1,991 |
| 1980 | #169 | 1,448 |
| 1970 | #220 | 1,125 |
| 1960 | #271 | 871 |
| 1950 | #315 | 473 |
| 1940 | #422 | 192 |
| 1930 | #420 | 198 |
| 1920 | #573 | 119 |
| 1910 | #718 | 18 |
| 1900 | #568 | 19 |
| 1890 | #937 | 6 |
| 1880 | #473 | 15 |
How popular is Hector, counting every spelling?
Hector is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #416 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #409 for Hector on its own. Together these spellings went to 779 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hector | 779 | #409 | 4,302 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Hector?
779 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Hector (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Hector born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Hector.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Hector?
About 95,700 people born in the US named Hector are alive today, with a median age of 32; half are between 20 and 47. That makes Hector mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Hector by state
How common Hector was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (2.7×), New Mexico (2.6×), Texas (2.5×), California (2.1×), Nevada (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Missouri, Iowa, Michigan.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Hector: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Hector, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Hector · Sibling names for Hector
Questions about the name Hector
What does Hector mean?
Hector means “holding fast” (Greek origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Hector?
Hector was the 409th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 779 babies. Its best year was 1990, when it ranked 156th; the most babies were born in 2005 (2,458). Over the last ten years it has moved down 106 places. More babies were named Hector in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Hector a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Hector in the US.
Where is Hector most popular?
In 2021–2025, Hector was most common in Arizona (1.34 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Mexico and Texas.