Nameling

Herbert

Gender
Boy
Say it
HER-bert
Origin
Germanic
UK rank, 2025
#870 for boys
US rank, 2025
#2,641 for boys

Herbert is a boys' name of Germanic origin, meaning “bright army”. In 2025 it ranked 870th for boys in the UK (40 babies) and 2,641st for boys in the US (49 babies).

What does Herbert mean?

Germanic: Germanic, brought to England by the Normans

“bright army”

The author H. G. Wells, who wrote The War of the Worlds, was born Herbert George Wells.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Herbert a girl's or a boy's name?

Herbert is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 40 boys in the UK and 49 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.

How popular is Herbert in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#870among boys
Babies in 2025
40about 1 in 7,500 boys
Five-year trend
Steadydown 24% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 40 boys in the UK were named Herbert, making it the 870th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,007th. Its busiest year was 2016, with 53 boys.

Half of all the boys named Herbert in the UK since 1996 were born between 2009 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.

Among boys in 2025, it was 811th in England and Wales.

In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#21), 1914 (#25), 1924 (#46) and 1934 (#73).

1996Busiest: 53 in 20162025
Herbert in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202540#870
202422#1,311
202332#1,028
202241#848
202139#878
202031#1,007
201941#829
201851#741
201751#748
201653#723
201544#794
201434#948
201340#843
201235#941
201143#801
201036#883
200926#1,086
200824#1,129
200721#1,205
200614#1,487
200524#997
200419#1,110
200313#1,328
200214#1,193
200116#1,054
200011#1,308
199910#1,352
199810#1,346
19979#1,412
19966#1,840

How popular is Herbert in the US?

Rank in 2025
#2,641among boys
Babies in 2025
49about 1 in 35,000 boys
Five-year trend
Steadydown 6% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 49 boys in the US were named Herbert, making it the 2,641st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,291st. Its busiest year was 1928, with 8,065 boys.

2025 had the fewest boys named Herbert since the records began in 1880.

Half of all the boys named Herbert in the US since 1880 were born between 1921 and 1949, the years shaded on the chart below.

1880Busiest: 8,065 in 19282025
Herbert in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
202549#2,641
202456#2,444
202368#2,128
202265#2,216
202153#2,498
202059#2,291
201954#2,463
201871#2,028
201777#1,883
201680#1,863
201579#1,853
201475#1,919
201379#1,810
201272#1,958
201181#1,779
201099#1,588
200994#1,664
2008110#1,482
2007104#1,516
2006113#1,402
2005118#1,295
2004109#1,341
2003120#1,219
2002161#975
2001148#1,009
2000157#963
1999151#954
1998193#789
1997195#761
1996204#743
1995217#722
1994235#673
1993273#622
1992307#582
1991285#602
1990349#528
1989350#511
1988400#450
1987349#475
1986382#439
1985430#410
1984437#391
1983481#363
1982515#355
1981551#336
1980568#331
1979617#313
1978568#313
1977587#317
1976632#295
1975671#287
1974677#277
1973707#267
1972804#252
1971951#241
19701,034#230
19691,008#227
19681,056#217
19671,152#201
19661,159#203
19651,380#183
19641,392#201
19631,504#196
19621,580#190
19611,688#181
19601,782#176
19591,844#169
19582,087#157
19572,278#151
19562,397#137
19552,504#129
19542,591#128
19532,617#125
19522,656#115
19512,703#112
19502,621#112
19492,731#107
19482,872#103
19472,856#104
19462,818#97
19452,664#94
19442,773#90
19433,044#86
19423,113#83
19412,964#76
19402,875#75
19393,097#68
19383,014#68
19373,040#65
19363,117#62
19353,437#58
19343,600#57
19333,685#49
19324,368#44
19314,788#41
19305,675#35
19297,881#25
19288,065#25
19275,017#42
19264,939#44
19254,924#42
19245,121#41
19235,071#40
19225,047#40
19215,217#42
19205,249#41
19194,960#40
19185,128#40
19174,745#40
19164,463#40
19154,341#40
19143,253#42
19132,723#39
19122,236#39
19111,125#41
1910886#41
1909831#37
1908759#36
1907710#39
1906689#37
1905681#37
1904680#37
1903668#34
1902615#36
1901573#35
1900751#36
1899590#33
1898716#34
1897565#35
1896635#34
1895569#36
1894585#36
1893519#41
1892513#43
1891501#38
1890467#42
1889472#41
1888485#43
1887445#41
1886400#46
1885388#45
1884421#46
1883422#41
1882431#40
1881369#40
1880424#38

Nicknames for Herbert

Names like Herbert

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Albert Henry Frederick Rupert Harry Ernest Wilfred Arthur Robert Alfred Archie Stanley

Names related to Herbert

Heriberto Herberth

More Germanic names

Amelia Liam Charlotte William Charlie Emma Freddie Ella Millie Albie Matilda Louie Miles Alice Myles Charles

Every Germanic name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Herbert: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/herbert, updated 20 October 2026.