Heather
Girl · HEH-ther · English
Big in Scotland
Heather is a girls' name of English origin, meaning “heather plant”. In 2025 it ranked 667th for girls in the UK (62 babies) and 1,261st for girls in the US (177 babies).
What does Heather mean?
English: English plant name
“heather plant”
Taken from the purple-flowered moorland plant strongly associated with Scotland.
- Say it
- HEH-ther
More on Wiktionary.
Is Heather a girl's or a boy's name?
Heather is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 62 girls in the UK and 177 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Heather in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #667among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 62about 1 in 4,500 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 62 girls in the UK were named Heather, making it the 667th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 776th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 940 girls.
Half of all the girls named Heather in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2006. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 792nd in England and Wales and 226th in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1934 (#97), 1944 (#58), 1954 (#56), 1964 (#59), 1974 (#72), 1984 (#58) and 1994 (#78).
Heather in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 62 | #667 |
| 2024 | 54 | #749 |
| 2023 | 43 | #892 |
| 2022 | 66 | #628 |
| 2021 | 49 | #816 |
| 2020 | 52 | #776 |
| 2019 | 43 | #909 |
| 2018 | 50 | #821 |
| 2017 | 59 | #746 |
| 2016 | 72 | #641 |
| 2015 | 76 | #613 |
| 2014 | 79 | #583 |
| 2013 | 64 | #686 |
| 2012 | 82 | #565 |
| 2011 | 86 | #535 |
| 2010 | 110 | #439 |
| 2009 | 147 | #340 |
| 2008 | 187 | #284 |
| 2007 | 245 | #236 |
| 2006 | 304 | #190 |
| 2005 | 366 | #162 |
| 2004 | 358 | #164 |
| 2003 | 398 | #144 |
| 2002 | 440 | #124 |
| 2001 | 534 | #107 |
| 2000 | 521 | #108 |
| 1999 | 588 | #101 |
| 1998 | 708 | #87 |
| 1997 | 906 | #72 |
| 1996 | 940 | #69 |
How popular is Heather in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,261among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 177about 1 in 9,100 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 1% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 177 girls in the US were named Heather, making it the 1,261st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,442nd. Its busiest year was 1975, with 24,301 girls. It first appears in the records in 1914.
Half of all the girls named Heather in the US since 1880 were born between 1975 and 1987, the years shaded on the chart below.
Heather in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 177 | #1,261 |
| 2024 | 170 | #1,341 |
| 2023 | 171 | #1,324 |
| 2022 | 181 | #1,304 |
| 2021 | 173 | #1,304 |
| 2020 | 151 | #1,442 |
| 2019 | 162 | #1,383 |
| 2018 | 211 | #1,150 |
| 2017 | 223 | #1,124 |
| 2016 | 275 | #975 |
| 2015 | 281 | #964 |
| 2014 | 331 | #836 |
| 2013 | 316 | #835 |
| 2012 | 330 | #811 |
| 2011 | 391 | #710 |
| 2010 | 421 | #681 |
| 2009 | 555 | #548 |
| 2008 | 654 | #483 |
| 2007 | 799 | #408 |
| 2006 | 974 | #339 |
| 2005 | 1,067 | #300 |
| 2004 | 1,304 | #244 |
| 2003 | 1,617 | #206 |
| 2002 | 2,068 | #159 |
| 2001 | 2,274 | #146 |
| 2000 | 2,684 | #125 |
| 1999 | 2,887 | #112 |
| 1998 | 3,397 | #99 |
| 1997 | 3,767 | #90 |
| 1996 | 4,759 | #71 |
| 1995 | 6,032 | #54 |
| 1994 | 7,033 | #44 |
| 1993 | 8,103 | #38 |
| 1992 | 9,725 | #31 |
| 1991 | 11,703 | #23 |
| 1990 | 14,220 | #19 |
| 1989 | 16,248 | #15 |
| 1988 | 18,033 | #14 |
| 1987 | 18,982 | #9 |
| 1986 | 19,790 | #9 |
| 1985 | 21,151 | #8 |
| 1984 | 21,489 | #9 |
| 1983 | 20,747 | #9 |
| 1982 | 17,493 | #12 |
| 1981 | 17,946 | #10 |
| 1980 | 19,973 | #6 |
| 1979 | 20,834 | #7 |
| 1978 | 22,270 | #5 |
| 1977 | 23,773 | #5 |
| 1976 | 24,192 | #4 |
| 1975 | 24,301 | #3 |
| 1974 | 23,179 | #4 |
| 1973 | 19,347 | #8 |
| 1972 | 16,320 | #9 |
| 1971 | 15,017 | #12 |
| 1970 | 14,669 | #19 |
| 1969 | 10,069 | #34 |
| 1968 | 5,502 | #62 |
| 1967 | 3,904 | #87 |
| 1966 | 2,897 | #125 |
| 1965 | 2,498 | #149 |
| 1964 | 2,386 | #160 |
| 1963 | 2,090 | #183 |
| 1962 | 1,283 | #247 |
| 1961 | 1,105 | #276 |
| 1960 | 971 | #298 |
| 1959 | 911 | #302 |
| 1958 | 731 | #344 |
| 1957 | 663 | #354 |
| 1956 | 662 | #342 |
| 1955 | 616 | #347 |
| 1954 | 541 | #374 |
| 1953 | 427 | #417 |
| 1952 | 381 | #439 |
| 1951 | 308 | #472 |
| 1950 | 310 | #459 |
| 1949 | 249 | #517 |
| 1948 | 215 | #566 |
| 1947 | 272 | #499 |
| 1946 | 237 | #512 |
| 1945 | 175 | #554 |
| 1944 | 131 | #643 |
| 1943 | 166 | #584 |
| 1942 | 159 | #585 |
| 1941 | 131 | #616 |
| 1940 | 106 | #672 |
| 1939 | 94 | #701 |
| 1938 | 76 | #807 |
| 1937 | 52 | #964 |
| 1936 | 52 | #951 |
| 1935 | 63 | #866 |
| 1934 | 41 | #1,098 |
| 1933 | 30 | #1,311 |
| 1932 | 11 | #2,642 |
| 1931 | 7 | #3,495 |
| 1930 | 8 | #3,343 |
| 1929 | 9 | #3,135 |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 8 | #3,640 |
| 1922 | 5 | #5,007 |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 5 | #4,973 |
| 1919 | 0 | – |
| 1918 | 0 | – |
| 1917 | 5 | #4,592 |
| 1916 | 0 | – |
| 1915 | 0 | – |
| 1914 | 8 | #2,637 |
Names like Heather
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Amber Holly Jennifer Hannah Michelle Jasmine Molly Jessica Harper Sarah Robyn Honey
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