Herbert
Herbert was the 2656th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 49 babies. Its best year was 1928, when it ranked 25th with 8,065 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 798 places. More babies were named Herbert in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning bright army · Germanic, Old French
Say it HUR-bert /ˈhɝbɚt/
- Rank in 2025
- #2,656 boys, down 352 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 49boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19288,065 babies
- Total since 1880
- 229,383babies recorded
What does the name Herbert mean?
Herbert is a Germanic name made of heri 'army, host' and beraht 'bright', as DMNES notes; Wiktionary traces it through Old French Herbert from Frankish *Hariberht. DMNES records Heriperht in Austria in 930 and the name in England from 1155. It was borne by early saints and later by the Herbert family, Earls of Pembroke. It was common in the US around 1900; President Herbert Hoover is a famous bearer.
heri (Old High German, “army”)beraht (Old High German, “bright”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Herb, Herbie, Heriberto.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean light, names that mean warrior.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Herbert', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Herbert', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Herbert
The usual nicknames for Herbert are Herb and Bert.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herb | Traditional | — | — |
| Bert · also for Robert, Albert, Bertha | Traditional | #10,866 | 42 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Herberts go by each one.
Herbert popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,117 since 1894.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,656 | 49 |
| 2020 | #2,304 | 59 |
| 2010 | #1,591 | 99 |
| 2000 | #966 | 157 |
| 1990 | #529 | 349 |
| 1980 | #331 | 568 |
| 1970 | #230 | 1,034 |
| 1960 | #176 | 1,782 |
| 1950 | #112 | 2,621 |
| 1940 | #75 | 2,875 |
| 1930 | #35 | 5,675 |
| 1920 | #41 | 5,249 |
| 1910 | #41 | 886 |
| 1900 | #36 | 751 |
| 1890 | #42 | 467 |
| 1880 | #38 | 424 |
How popular is Herbert, counting every spelling?
Herbert has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Herbert?
49 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Herbert (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Herbert 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 171 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Herbert.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Herbert?
About 58,900 people born in the US named Herbert are alive today, with a median age of 69; half are between 56 and 78. That makes Herbert a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Herbert by state
How common Herbert was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 44 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Herbert: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Herbert, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Herbert · Sibling names for Herbert
Questions about the name Herbert
What does Herbert mean?
Herbert means “bright army” (Germanic, Old French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Herbert?
Herbert was the 2656th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 49 babies. Its best year was 1928, when it ranked 25th with 8,065 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 798 places. More babies were named Herbert in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Herbert a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Herbert in the US.
Where is Herbert most popular?
In 2021–2025, Herbert was most common in Maryland (0.08 per 1,000 boys), followed by Minnesota and Florida.